Neodymium is a rare earth heavy metal and was discovered in 1885 in Austria through fractional crystallization. In the presence of air, it oxidizes quickly into pink colored compounds. Traditionally, neodymium was used to dye glass, however, currently it is used to create powerful lasers and magnets - some of which can be used in fusion energy applications (such as the NOVA laser) to everyday items such as computers and microphones. Credit: Materialscientist / CC BY 1.0, Jurii / CC BY 1.0, TRUMPF GmbH + Co. KG / CC BY-SA 3.0 and LLNL / public domain. #lasers #fusionreactor #physics #laserphysics #neodymium #magnets #periodictable #elements #lucasciences #lanthanides #laseretching https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw-L5CBBWl5/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=7som49sd0iq9