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How is calcium-48 used in particle accelerators?

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A labeled diagram of the periodic table entry for calcium, showing its atomic number 20, symbol Ca, atomic weight 40.078, electron configuration, and classification as an alkaline-earth metal. Icons indicate calcium is a solid with a face-centered cubic crystal structure and strongly basic oxides at room temperature. — calcium The chemical element calcium is the most abundant metallic element in the human body.

Calcium-48 is a naturally occurring isotope of calcium that is particularly neutron-rich. Because of this property, it is utilized in particle accelerators for the synthesis of new heavy nuclei.1