Gravimetrine
Gravimetrine (also known as Untrinilium-366) is a neutron-heavy isotope of untrinilium and a superactinide within the super-heavy island of stability.
Contents
Synthesis
Neither gravimetrine nor its base element untrinilium occur in nature and must be produced artificially via a particle collider. One theoretical production method is via bombardment of seaborgium-265 atoms with nickel-78.
Higgs Magnification
For reasons currently unknown, the structure of the gravimetrine nucleus results in an exacerbated reaction to the Higgs mechanism. In essence, gravimetrine atoms exert a stronger gravitational force than mathematical models would suggest. Additionally, experimental evidence suggests that the intensity of this exacerbated reaction increases proportionally to the number of local nuclei.
Attempts to explain this quirk of the nucleus have been entirely unsuccessful. This effect has yet to be observed in any other isotope of untrinilium or its lighter neighbors, or in any heavier synthesized elements. Currently, scientists have no better answer than "it happens simply because it does", a conjecture that, perhaps, untrinilium-366 is simply a specially magic nucleus.
Lifespan and Stability
Gravimetrine is considered extremely stable, having an approximated natural half-life of 319 years. However, exposure to significant proton or neutron emissions can incite gravimetrine atoms into spontaneous fission.
Commercial Use
Typically, gravimetrine has only a single use, being frequently salted into floor paneling for use aboard starships and in other low and microgravity environments. These panels provide necessary artificial gravity without any need for structural rotation.
Some corporations have attempted to utilize gravimetrine in the assembly of temporary and emergency prefabricated buildings. The hope was that, by applying a gravimetrine salt only to the edges of panels, buildings can be constructed that hold together purely through gravitational force alone. Unfortunately, structures utilizing this construction method suffer a rapid degradation of structural integrity and collapse within a matter of hours or days.
Weaponization Controversy
Since its discovery in contemporary times, gravimetrine has served only benign purposes. Despite the alleged feasibility of gravimetrine-based weaponry, there is no evidence to date that any government or military power possesses or is developing any such weapon. This apparent disregard for prime military application has resulted in a one-and-a-half-century-long controversy over an alleged lack of transparency. Conspirators attest that it's impossible that nobody has ever created a gravimetrine weapon, that they must exist, and that they are being kept entirely secret.
The Hveh-Sulea Proof
In an attempt to assuage the fears of the general populace, several governments cooperated to produce the Hveh-Sulea Proof. The proof's founding mathematicians, Professor Hveh Dene Nose and Doctor Sulea Konu Nose, demonstrated that the gravitational intensity of gravimetrine atoms follows a logarithmic growth curve with an asymptotic limit.
While the proof has been peer-reviewed and reproduced numerous times --essentially cementing its veracity, some conspiracy theorists insist it is merely additional propaganda meant to strengthen the cloak surrounding gravimetrine weaponry.
Trivia
- The name "gravimetrine" is a derivative of the term "gravimetric".
- Gravimetrine should not be confused with "gravitons". A graviton is a hypothetical carrier particle for gravitational force. Gravimetrine is merely a super-heavy periodic element that experiences hyperbolic interactions with the Higgs mechanism.