beryllium sphere

The spherical form of beryllium is a good test material for investigating non-local electron transport in an X-ray tube. It has fewer ionization states than high-Z materials, which helps decouple physical processes and reduces uncertainties in modeling non-local thermodynamic equilibrium.

It is also an excellent neutron absorber and a good spectrometer. It has low melting points and is highly transparent to X-rays, which makes it ideal for use in X-ray tubes.

Beryllium is a rare element in the earth's crust; it can be found in minerals like bertrandite, chrysoberyl, and phenakite. Those deposits are being mined today to supply the world's needs for this critical element.