by the RIKEN Institute, Japan. English version ¥3000 NTSC format, ¥4000 PAL/SECAM format.
A flapping butterfly, the songs of birds, the colours of flowers, mountains and oceans – all are relics of the stars, for the ashes of stars are the building blocks of all we can see and touch. On Earth, the ashes must have been recycled, because we can find nearly all the elements present. It is only half a century since we began to understand that the genesis of the elements lies in the stars. They are the factories and, depending on their fuel, mass and age, they produce their specific elements.
RIKEN, the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research in Japan, has taken the initiative to produce a video of the processes involved in the synthesis of elements in the stars. The film begins with a gentle introduction, but soon the audience must be alert as they will be informed about the basics of radioactivity and the structure of atomic nuclei, in subtle detail. The video continues with the synthesis of elements, first in a star like the Sun, then during the Big Bang, and then in massive stars, and ends with the production of thorium and uranium in a supernova explosion. Back on Earth, RIKEN argues that its research using radioactive ion beams is important for unravelling the mysteries of element synthesis, with supporting statements from scientists from other countries.
The video lasts for 35 minutes and is a complete lesson in nuclear synthesis. It is excellent material for high-school and university students who already have a background knowledge of this subject matter. Despite the long duration of the film, it can be used to support lessons on this topic. However, there are also some cautionary remarks. As mentioned before, the information given within the first six minutes about the basics of radioactivity and the structure of atomic nuclei is so compact and detailed that even the most attentive students will be exhausted, especially as the information comes both from a voice-over and simultaneously from three or four different places in an animation. This could be simply avoided.
Fortunately, the movie then slows down and the alternation of the narrator with comments from Japanese scientists works very well. If the “man in the street” understands that thermal motion of two hydrogen nuclei by quantum-electrotunnelling through the barrier created by electric repulsion leads to fusion into deuterium, a positron and a neutrino, then the video would also be suitable for the general public. Otherwise, it would probably be better to make a special, more simplified version, which could give an overview of the birth and death of the (massive) stars that 5 billion years ago resulted in the birth of our solar system.
In summary, this is an attractive and interesting video on nuclear synthesis and nuclear structure, and could be useful for supporting lectures and classes.
