What is the most dense material that can exist on Earth?

[Airbrush]

The only way neutron star like density material could be found on Earth is to arrive here from outer space, and neutron stars cannot explode and throw pieces of themselves everywhere. Everything else crashes into a neutron star and is crushed to such density, but when neutron stars crash they merge with the energy shown by short gamma ray bursts.

[timetes]

The only way neutron star like density material could be found on Earth is to arrive here from outer space, and neutron stars cannot explode and throw pieces of themselves everywhere. Everything else crashes into a neutron star and is crushed to such density, but when neutron stars crash they merge with the energy shown by short gamma ray bursts.

 

thats it....gamma ray bursts.... there must be a new technology harnessing these waves for energy and or weapons.. "The initial burst is usually followed by a longer-lived "afterglow" emitting at longer wavelengths (X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, infrared, and radio)." quote

My question would be.....can a mirror change that wave angle and can it be stored or captured? maybe stored by satillites? I know we have detectors for them.

oh....and for the poster ,who are you if your not human LOL....

[timetes]

thats it....gamma ray bursts.... there must be a new technology harnessing these waves for energy and or weapons.. "The initial burst is usually followed by a longer-lived "afterglow" emitting at longer wavelengths (X-ray, ultraviolet, optical, infrared, and radio)." quote

My question would be.....can a mirror change that wave angle and can it be stored or captured? maybe stored by satillites? I know we have detectors for them.

oh....and for the poster ,who are you if your not human LOL....

 

opps....sorry my son said its impossible for gamma rays......how about solar sun burst rays.....

also, im starting to think this em zaps may be coming from the tv box, it feels like a sucking gravity and its painful. Oh and its not physical......because I used a glass of water and the water vibrated with the thumping....

[fireblast_12]

I think it can but since it will have greater gravitational pull than earth, it will cause a problem.

[Theophrastus]

On the initial subject, gallium melts at around 30 degrees celsius, and as such, its generally a less toxic alternative to mercury, though it is still mildly toxic, and stains, so one should still take care in handling it. Its density, is about 6 times that of water, so it can be used to sort stuff. If a thermometer uses a liquid metal, which isn't mercury, (mercury- free) its probably a gallium alloy, that's used. I wish I had a substantial amount of mercury or gallium. Liquid metals are pretty cool... (suddenly attains the idea to market a mercury theme park:" try our mercury slides! Just try not to get a tumour while you're at it!" Ah, neurotoxins...

 

In regards to the densest material, I'ld guess it to be some manner of fun radioactive element, though that would be rather unstable (for obvious reasons). Though I've heard that hydrogen at temperatures relatively near absolute zero, like those that can be achieved in a cryogenics lab, can become incredibly dense.

Edited May 11, 2009 by Theophrastus
Addition of content

[Zjar]

Thank you, everyone. This thread is responsible for my having registered as a Science Forums member today, undeterred by when the conversation about dense materials and osmium blew off track. From your links, discovered some fertile things about rhenium as well.

 

Something particularly nice about 'permanent' online compendia is that the articles in Wikipedia have probably been improved upon my reading them this week, beyond what they contained when you posted links there 2 years ago. And threads like this one, to which conversants, including new ones, can add material with new discoveries and perspectives, are a great new way of living we're privileged to share together.

[Sisyphus]

Welcome aboard, Zjar. Glad you like the forum.

[granpa]

you people are forgetting about white dwarf material

[insane_alien]

we already covered neutron star material which is denser than a white dwarf AND explained why you couldn't really have it on earth.

[granpa]

white dwarf material is totally different from neutron star material.

 

also you might want to look up 'ultra-dense deuterium'

[insane_alien]

yes, i know white dwarf material is different from neutron star material. neutron star material is supported by neutron degeneracy pressure. it has already exceeded the ability of electron degeneracy pressure to hold it appart which is the force holding white dwarfs up.

 

neutronium approaches the density of an atomic nucleus. its 10^7 times denser than a white dwarf

[Inspector_Gadget]

New to the forum, and this thread is the one that made me join.

 

So, not trying to beat a dead horse, as this one has been beaten quite enough, but if I'm not mistaken, the most dense *material* not only exists on earth, but exists everywhere there is matter, and would be a proton or neutron.

Density = appx 406 million metric tons / cubic cm.

 

seems to be a simple answer, so am I missing something?

[sxShadoWxs]

Every woman knows this one.

 

A male ego is the most dense material found in every cosmos.

[Monsters from the ID]

I wouldn't know about the self sustaining density limits of materials, but I did read that for a brief instant in a nuclear fission weapons core, the metallic fuel sphere (usually plutonium or uranium) is compressed up to 2 or 3 times normal density by the chemical explosive implosion part of the bomb. I suppose then one could say that on earth for brief instants, we have had materials at 3 times their normal densities. Given that the densities of fissionable metals are fairly high (around 16 to 19 times that of water), it would be correct to say that the short duration density in an atomic bomb in the instants just after chemical implosion, and just before the main fission explosion would be around 35 to 60 times that of water! (I do not know what densities are achieved by the lighter materials in the center of a thermonuclear weapon.) Also, according to an article by Orson L. Anderson, the density of iron at the earths inner core is expected to be 13 times that of water, which matches seismic data. So we do have on earth, iron at the core, with the density of mercury! Whether there are large quantities of heavier elements which would be far denser than normal is an interesting possibility. J. Marvin Herndon suggests that there may even be a ball of liquid uranium (a few miles wide) at the core. Yikes! And that it may even form a natural fission reactor! At those pressures, the density of that material may also be quite high, perhaps as dense as such materials are for a short period in a chemical implosion as mentioned earlier. That may not be the case, but it's an interesting idea.

[finiter]

the most dense *material* not only exists on earth, but exists everywhere there is matter, and would be a proton or neutron.

Density = appx 406 million metric tons / cubic cm.

 

That seems to be the correct answer. Actually, what is an object? A neutron star is an object; Earth is an object. A proton/ neutron is an object on earth.

 

The densest object that can be formed by atoms on earth may depend upon the average density of the earth, and so there may be an upper limit to that.

 

What makes the average density of earth very low, compared to that of a neutron star? Is it just the amount of matter? Do their individual speeds have any effect on their densities?

[Guardian54]

Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you all for contributing to a robust discussion of this topic and all the various avenues that it has taken. Personally, I have never taken so much as chemistry in high school, but you have made this thread easy enough for even me to follow. I joined this forum solely on the wonderful discussion here. The suggestions, possibilities and directions here have sparked my curiosity. Although I lack the expertise to be a contributor, I am thankful that there are many here that would help me should I have a question. Life is full of questions and sometimes the answers pose even more questions. The possibilities are endless. Thankfully, it would appear that questions here are not dismissed out of hand but given thoughtful and often well directed possibilities for answers. I hope you all will continue to provide more stimulating discussion in the future!