Product of a 'Holy Grail' physics experiment has... disappeared
The first ever metallic hydrogen sample is nowhere to be found.
In late January, Dr. Isaac Silvera published a paper in the journal, Science, in which he claimed to have done something that has never been done -- turning hydrogen gas into a metal.
If the results could be repeated and ultimately scaled up, metallic hydrogen could be a game-changing superconductor that could be used in everything from magnetic levitation devices, to super efficient energy grids.
When Dr. Silvera's results were published, many of his peers didn't believe him, and questioned his process and claims.
Well, now one month later something strange has happened. His one-of-a-kind piece of hydrogen had disappeared.
Related Links:
- Research paper in Science: Observation of the Wigner-Huntington transition to metallic hydrogen
- Quirks & Quarks: Metallic hydrogen: did it finally happen?