What type of government system does Fiona operate under?
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Answer:
FIONA is an acronym that means: “For the Identification Of Nuclide A,” with “A” representing the scientific symbol for an element’s mass number – the total number of protons and neutrons in an atom’s nucleus. Protons are positively charged and the proton count is also known as the atomic number; neutrons have a neutral charge. Superheavy elements are human-made and have a higher atomic number than those found in naturally occurring elements.
The global rush for mass numbers
Gathering and validating this first data from FIONA had been a top priority for the Lab’s 88-Inch Cyclotron and Nuclear Science Division since FIONA’s commissioning wrapped up in early 2018. Cyclotron staff worked with visiting and in-house scientists to conduct FIONA’s first experimental run, which spanned five weeks.
“It is very exciting to see FIONA come online, as it is extremely important to pin down the masses of superheavy elements,” said Barbara Jacak, Nuclear Science Division director. “Until now the mass assignments have been made with circumstantial evidence rather than by direct measurement.”
Jackie Gates, a staff scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Nuclear Science Division who played a leading role in the conception, construction, and testing of FIONA, and who leads FIONA’s mass-number-determination efforts, said, “There has been a lot of interest in making an experimental measurement of superheavy mass numbers.”