Fermium

Fermium (Fm) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-25 · the last 10 years

Fermium’s research intensity stands at about 21% of its all-time peak, a level that has held steady over the last decade despite the element’s historic high occurring in 1967.

Research intensity ran from about 24% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 21% in 2026 — flat overall, with some movement in between, and the all-time peak (1967) lies before this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements held steady. Among the 118 elements, fermium has one of the smaller research literatures of any element.

The number of papers involving the element held roughly level from about 30 in 2016 to about 32 in 2025. That is slower than the literature as a whole grew over the same years, so the element lost ground in the wider body of research.

The dominant research community is Fermium Fission Dynamics and Isomer Studies, a subcommunity within the broader field of superheavy nuclei and nuclear structure. These papers analyze fission modes and dynamics in fermium isotopes, distinguishing them from the community's broader focus on superheavy element synthesis. Fermium is a minor presence in this much larger community, with under 1% of its papers involving the element. However, this community accounts for about 95% of fermium’s recent research, a significant rise from about 69% in the previous period. The work is anchored by a 2018 review on nuclear fission progress, cited over 180 times, and a 2024 Nature paper on fermium charge radii, cited about 11 times.

A second community, Lanthanide and Actinide Coordination Chemistry for Magnetic and Optical Applications, has seen its share of fermium research decline to zero from about 8% in the earlier period. Fermium remains a minor presence here as well. A 2017 study on heavy-actinide hexahalide compounds, cited about 7 times, represents the element’s work in this area. Similarly, the community of Machine-Learned Potentials and First-Principles Simulation of Condensed Matter has declined to zero share from about 8%. A 2017 computational study on fermium monopnictides, cited about 5 times, is the key paper here. The Radioligand Therapy and Molecular Imaging for Prostate and Neuroendocrine Cancers community holds a steady, negligible share of the element's research.

Overall, the literature has consolidated heavily around fission dynamics, while other areas have lost share. The remainder of the research, comprising other smaller communities, has also declined in share.

For a deeper look at the current state of fermium research, consult the element's Last 12 Months report or Executive Brief.