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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
Researchers long ago theorized that if hydrogen gas were exposed to enough pressure, it would transition into a metal. But the theories were not able to derive how much pressure is required. Doubts about the theories began to arise when scientists developed tools capable of exerting the high pressures that were believed necessary to squeeze hydrogen into a metal. Theorists simply moved the number higher.
In the past several years, however, theorists have come to a consensus—their math showed that hydrogen should transition at approximately 425 gigapascals—but a way to generate that much pressure did not exist. Then, last year, a team at the AEC improved on the diamond anvil cell, which for years has been used to create intense pressure in experiments. In a diamond anvil cell, two opposing diamonds are used to compress a sample between highly polished tips—the pressure generated is typically measured using a reference material. With the new design, called a toroidal diamond anvil cell, the tip was made into a donut shape with a grooved dome. When in use, the dome deforms but does not break at high pressures. With the new design, the researchers were able to exert pressures up to 600 GPa. That still left the problem of how to test a sample of hydrogen as it was being squeezed. The researchers overcame this challenge by simply shining a beam of infrared light down through the center of the device—at normal temperatures, it can pass right through hydrogen. But if it were to meet with a transitioned metal, it would instead be blocked or reflected.
The researchers found that hydrogen samples compressed to 425 gigapascals blocked all infrared and visible light and showed optical reflectivity, as well. They suggest their results indicate that hydrogen does become a solid at 425 gigapascals—but they are already planning another test to bolster their findings. They want to repeat the experiment to determine if the sample begins conducting electricity at 425 gigapascals.
More information: Paul Loubeyre et al. Synchrotron infrared spectroscopic evidence of the probable transition to metal hydrogen, Nature (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1927-3
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 03 2020, @03:09AM
Aren't billionaires always looking for unique ways to spend their money? Scale this up..."Hey baby, my car is made from metallic hydrogen."
(Score: 3, Informative) by Coward, Anonymous on Monday February 03 2020, @03:29AM (6 children)
People who know the subject speculate that this hydrogen stays dense and metallic, even after the external pressure is removed. It would make for some great rocket fuel.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 03 2020, @03:39AM
Neat, so if a billionaire commercialized the process in the course of building a car...the R&D would be a tax write-off.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by arslan on Monday February 03 2020, @05:32AM (3 children)
If it does stay dense and metallic after exerted pressure is removed, why would they need infrared to measure while it is under pressure? Sounds like it doesn't stay solid once the tipping point pressure is reduced..
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Coward, Anonymous on Monday February 03 2020, @06:23AM (2 children)
You're asking more than I know. The experiments I heard about were at such an early stage that sample manipulation was not tried once metallic hydrogen was detected. Even looking at it wrong, i.e. shining in more laser light (only a few mW iirc), risked cracking the diamond anvils. So once they got to high pressure, they just left it there. In the end, the anvils failed anyway and everything turned to dust.
Maybe these new experiments are more reproducible. But pulling the anvils apart could still exert negative pressure on the hydrogen if it does not expand. A different mechanism to release the sample might preserve its metallic phase.
(Score: 2) by opinionated_science on Monday February 03 2020, @01:20PM (1 child)
Solid D2 (Deuterium) occurs naturally(?) below 23K
and yes, its a shiny "black" metal... though that may have been the lighting conditions...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 03 2020, @02:06PM
hm. apparently surface temperature on Pluto doesn't really go below 33K, so we'd need to go a bit further out before we can test the "naturally" you're questioning there.
(Score: 2) by Bot on Tuesday February 04 2020, @02:47PM
it would be nice for hydrogen powered cars. A fuel tank able to withstand 450 gigapascals is just what the automotive industry needs to justify the ever increasing prices for whatever rolls on wheels.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by RandomFactor on Monday February 03 2020, @04:07AM (1 child)
The center of the Earth is 360 GPA
The center of Uranus is 400-550 GPA
The center of Neptune is 550-700 GPA
The center of Saturn is 500-800 GPA
The center of Jupiter is 5000-10000 GPA
So, ignoring the Sun (26.5 PPa), there are four planets in the solar system where these sorts of pressure exist naturally.
This was done at 80 Kelvin.
Earth - 8000K
Uranus - 5000K
Neptune - 7273K
Saturn - 12000K
Jupiter - 24000K
It looks like someone already did this. [sciencedirect.com]
According to the phase diagram [els-cdn.com] Jupiter and Saturn could sustain metallic hydrogen in a liquid state in their centers.
But looks like we are out of luck in our neighborhood for solid metallic hydrogen.
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 3, Funny) by Bot on Tuesday February 04 2020, @02:58PM
>The center of Uranus
AHEM you forgot to joke about that.
Account abandoned.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 03 2020, @04:42AM
I like to lick it and stick it
lick it and stick it
i have a cow and bear faced head and ill be there to be undead
i like chicken shit too fuck yeah
(Score: 3, Informative) by Coward, Anonymous on Monday February 03 2020, @07:46AM
Solid metallic hydrogen was reported in 2017 at 495 GPa pressure [google.com]. This sounds like confirmation, albeit at 15 % less pressure.
(Score: 1) by jmc23 on Monday February 03 2020, @02:59PM
Now just need to have gravity controls.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 04 2020, @03:21PM
If the tip deforms, then presumably the surface area changes. Does that have a noticeable effect on the effective pressure at the "coal face"?