Researchers have achieved a groundbreaking feat by heating gold to unprecedented temperatures without melting it, overturning a century-old theory and paving the way for breakthroughs in fusion and planetary science.
At over 19,000 Kelvin (33,740 degrees Fahrenheit), this is more than 14 times gold’s normal melting point. Surprisingly, the gold retained its solid, crystalline form, defying the long-standing entropy catastrophe theory.
“This is possibly the hottest crystalline material ever recorded,” said lead author Thomas White. The experiment used a powerful laser to heat a thin gold foil in just 50 quadrillionths of a second, allowing researchers to measure the temperature inside the metal using an advanced laser spectroscopy technique.
The findings suggest that superheating solids may be far higher or nonexistent if heating occurs quickly enough. This opens up new possibilities for high-energy density physics and fusion energy research, including probing planetary interiors.
This achievement marks a significant step forward in understanding the behavior of hot dense plasmas and has the potential to transform our understanding and control of fusion-relevant plasma conditions. The research is the result of a decade-long collaboration between top universities worldwide.
Source: https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-heat-gold-hotter-than-the-sun-and-it-doesnt-melt