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In a high-energy experiment that literally vaporized expectations, scientists at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have superheated gold to temperatures previously deemed physically impossible—33,740 degrees Fahrenheit (18,726 degrees Celsius)—while simultaneously invalidating a foundational model in material science. The research, published in Nature, not only challenges the theoretical 'entropy catastrophe' limit (which posited gold couldn’t withstand heating beyond three times its boiling point) but also pioneers a direct method for measuring matter under extreme conditions.

The Experiment: Lasers, X-Rays, and Atomic Snapshots

Using SLAC’s Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC) instrument—a facility designed to replicate stellar interiors—researchers fired high-powered optical lasers at gold samples. This suppressed the metal’s natural expansion when heated, locking atoms in place long enough to zap them with ultrabright X-rays. By analyzing how these X-rays scattered after collision, the team calculated atomic velocities and temperatures with unprecedented precision.

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The Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC) instrument at SLAC, used to study matter at star-core temperatures. Credit: Matt Beardsley/SLAC

"We looked at the data, and somebody just said, 'Wait a minute. Is this axis correct? That’s…really hot, isn’t it?"' remarked lead author Thomas White, a physicist at the University of Nevada, Reno. The gold reached 14 times its boiling point before vaporizing—but crucially, it held together for trillionths of a second.

"We now have a thermometer for all these crazy experiments we’ve been doing."
— Thomas White, Lead Author

Why This Thermometer Changes Everything

Temperature measurement has always been indirect—mercury thermometers, for example, infer heat from volume changes. For extreme environments (fusion reactors, spacecraft re-entry, or planetary cores), such proxies fail. This new X-ray scattering technique provides direct, real-time atomic-level data.

Senior author Bob Nagler (SLAC staff scientist) emphasized the breakthrough:

"You have a chicken-and-egg problem when replicating star-core conditions. Now we can finally measure the temperature driving these systems."

Implications: From Fusion to Interplanetary Travel

  • Nuclear Fusion: Gold housings in facilities like the National Ignition Facility could be optimized using precise temperature mapping, potentially improving energy yield.
  • Spacecraft Design: Understanding superheated material behavior could revolutionize heat shielding.

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- Astrophysics: Directly probing matter states aids in modeling neutron stars and gas giants.

The team is already applying this technique to silver and iron. As White noted, "I’m very thankful that I get to blow stuff up with giant lasers for discoveries." With fusion research and space exploration accelerating, this accidental physics demolition may have just handed engineers the keys to the next frontier.