As of 2026-09-11 · the last 10 years
Research intensity has climbed steadily to reach 99% of the element's all-time peak, a high point achieved within this specific decade.
Research intensity ran from about 71% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 99% in 2026 — a steady climb, and the all-time peak (2025) falls inside this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements rose. Among the 118 elements, thulium has a mid-sized research literature.
The number of papers involving the element rose from about 746 in 2016 to about 1,655 in 2025 (2.22x). That matches the growth of the literature as a whole over the same years: the general tide of scientific output, not a surge specific to the element.
The dominant research community is Thulium Fiber Laser in Urologic Endoscopy, which accounts for about 43% of the element's recent research. This group focuses on comparative trials of thulium fiber laser against holmium laser for transurethral resection and intrarenal stone surgery, with distinctive work on laser versus holmium comparisons. Thulium is one strand of a broader community, with about 17% of its papers involving thulium. This community has been rising, growing from about 26% of the element's research in the earlier period. A key paper in this area is a 2024 study on a flexible suction ureteral access sheath, cited over 150 times, alongside a 2022 randomized trial comparing thulium and holmium lasers, cited over 200 times.
The second major community is Thulium-Doped Fiber Lasers and Mode-Locking, representing about 33% of recent research. These papers focus on thulium-doped fiber amplifiers and passively mode-locked or Q-switched all-fiber laser systems, often exploring thulium doped fiber and mode-locked thulium configurations. Thulium is a minor presence in a much larger community, with about 6% of its papers involving thulium. This community has been declining, dropping from about 49% of the element's research in the earlier period. Notable work includes a 2017 paper on polarization-maintaining fiber laser architecture, cited over 310 times, and a 2025 study on intelligent soliton molecules control, cited about 26 times.
A smaller, steady community is Rare-Earth-Doped Phosphors for Solid-State Lighting, Optical Sensing, and Plant Growth, holding about 3% of the element's recent research. This community has remained steady, with its share shifting only slightly from about 3% in the earlier period. Research here includes a 2023 Nature Communications paper on bright Tm3+-based downshifting luminescence nanoprobe, cited over 130 times, and a 2025 study on upconversion photodynamic therapy, cited about 58 times.
The remaining share of thulium research, about 20%, is distributed across other smaller communities that have remained steady. The overall composition has shifted significantly, with the urologic laser community gaining substantial share while the fiber laser community has lost ground, consolidating the element's profile around medical applications.
For a deeper look at the element's current standing, see the Last 12 Months and Executive Brief reports.
What changed in the past year: new papers, shifting applications, emerging collaborators. See the momentum over a shorter window than the decade view.
Personal →See recent trends — Personal.
A by-topic status read of what changed and what's new — built for decision-makers, not search engines. Citation clusters, emerging applications, and the papers that matter most.
Professional →See the executive read — Professional.
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Showing Thulium's three strongest connections. Personal opens the slider and the whole 118-element graph.