# Ytterbium, Yb

Ytterbium (Yb) is a soft, malleable, and ductile chemical element with the symbol Yb and atomic number 70. It belongs to the lanthanide series of the periodic table and is typically silvery-white in its metallic form. While Yb is found in certain minerals such as monazite and euxenite, it is primarily obtained through the mining and processing of ytterbium-containing ores. Ytterbium has several isotopes, both stable and radioactive. In the realm of photonics and laser technology, ytterbium-doped materials, especially fibers and crystals, have gained prominence due to their efficiency and broad tunability, with applications ranging from high-power continuous wave lasers to ultrafast pulse generation. Ytterbium is also used in atomic clocks due to its sharp electron transition frequencies, making these clocks remarkably precise.

## External links

- Ytterbium - Wikipedia
- Ytterbium - WebElements