Researchers at SLAC’s Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC) instrument used a laser to superheat a sample of gold. Then, they sent a pulse of ultrabright X-rays from the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) through the sample to measure the speed, and thus the temperature, of the atoms vibrating in the sample. Graphic credit: Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Gold was superheated to 19,000 Kelvin without melting, defying physics and unlocking new possibilities in high-energy research. Physicists have heated gold to over 19,000 Kelvin, more than 14 times its melting point, without melting it, smashing the long-standing “entropy catastrophe” limit...
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