Sedimentation of Atoms in Solid under a Strong Acceleration Field of around 1 Million g

The behavior of atoms in a solid under a strong acceleration field of around 1 million (106) g at high temperature (mega-gravity field) was examined. The ultracentrifuge experiment was performed on an antimony (Sb)-bismuth (Bi) system solid alloy in a maximum acceleration field of (0.85–1.03)×106 g at 220–240° C for 85 hours. Large composition gradients of Sb (about 20–0 wt%) and Bi (80–100 wt%) and the continuous changes in lattice parameters were observed at that location where the external energy was comparable to or larger than the thermal energy. This result provides the first evidence of the sedimentation of component atoms in a solid.