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Chapter 2806 Retrieving the Scientific "Holy Grail" (First Update, Please Subscribe)
Element number 113!
This is the 113th element discovered by humankind!
Since uranium (element 92), humans have synthesized 19 new elements through scientific means. This scientific journey, spanning decades, is filled with fierce competition between nations and ingenious experimental breakthroughs.

In the context of the Cold War, the discovery of new elements was also a competition between major powers.

其中大多数都是美国团队发现，其次是苏联，而SEA的团队则发现了102号锘以及107号、108号、110号、112号，除了102号是50年代发现的之外，而其它是则过去的10年中发现的。

Without exception, these new elements are all radioactive. In fact, apart from plutonium-94, most of these new elements are unstable radioactive elements.

This situation changed after the discovery of "X crystal" on the moon, which became element number 109.

The periodic table has been updated once again.

The new metal discovered on the moon this time is different from the crystal of element 109; it is a metal.

Moreover, it looks completely different from ordinary metal.

Its surface shimmers with a strange iridescence, as if covered by an extremely thin film of oil.

This is a difference that can be seen at a glance; perhaps, this in itself signifies its difference.

"Let's begin the experiment!"

After Li Songjie finished speaking, Shi Yunlie nodded to the researcher.

Then, the experiment began.

At the start of the experiment, Wang Lifeng appeared calm and simply made accurate records.

"Seventy-ninth test, sample 197, critical temperature... 298K."

His voice was calm, but the slight tremor in his fingertips betrayed him.

298K represents a thermodynamic temperature, which is equal to 24.85 degrees Celsius.

That is, from the well-known normal temperature.

Although they had already conducted numerous tests, and it had remained unchanged in another testing station, it was still somewhat exciting to start testing again.

Everyone else in the lab stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on the metal plate suspended in the magnetic field—without liquid nitrogen cooling or a complex superconducting support device, it just floated quietly in the air, as if ignoring the laws of physics.

It's not rudeness; in fact, it has altered the laws of physics, and even, to some extent, redefined them.

Wang Lifeng gently touched it with a metal rod, and it began to spin, maintaining a distance of approximately 2 millimeters from the testing platform.

"Room-temperature superconductors..."

Standing to the side, Li Songjie's eyes widened in astonishment. After a long while, he finally murmured:

"We really did it."

The weight of this statement is something anyone with even a basic understanding of physics can appreciate.

Since 1911, Dutch physicist Kamerlingh Onnes discovered that when the temperature drops to 4.2K (about -268.95℃), the electrical resistance of metallic mercury disappears. Since the discovery of superconductors, scientists have never stopped researching them.

In the early 1950s, the Physics Laboratory of Nanyang University published a theory that could successfully describe superconductivity at the microscopic level. This theory was based on quantum mechanics.

For the past thirty years, although SEA has been at the forefront of superconductor research, all of its research has been conducted under high pressure and low temperature.

A room-temperature superconductor is their ultimate dream, and it should be said to be the ultimate dream of physicists all over the world.

However, no breakthrough has been achieved in this area until now.

Until this moment, they finally achieved a breakthrough.

"No, it wasn't us... it was the moon that did it."

As Shi Yunlie corrected him, he looked at the metal floating inside the protective box and said:

"We just discovered it. It had been lying quietly on the moon, waiting for us to find it. Everything was so magical. Although it was a coincidence, it also seemed to be the most natural thing in the world."

Moon!

When the moon was mentioned, Shi Yunlie couldn't help but say:

"Back then, when you wanted to march on the moon, establish a permanent base there, and even carve up the moon, we didn't even know what the point was..."

He looked at the metal that was still suspended in mid-air.

"But what about now?"

Shi Yunlie's gaze hardened, and he said:

"Now I understand why you value the moon so much. It is an environment completely different from Earth. Both the environment and the continuous meteorite impacts over millions of years could have formed or brought new elements, such as element 109 and element 113... On the moon, there may be many new elements waiting for us to discover."

Li Songjie nodded. He didn't speak, but just stared quietly at the small piece of metal, about the size of a fingernail.

These are mineral extracts collected by explorers at the lunar base from a deep fissure near a crater on the far side of the moon.

The initial analysis revealed that its structure was unprecedented—an alloy of an unknown metal with hexagonal close packing, in which natural "Cooper pairs" were formed. A large number of Cooper pairs generated a collectively condensed wave due to quantum coherence effects. The spatial scale of this wave is much larger than that of the atomic lattice, and it can pass through the lattice without hindrance, achieving a zero-resistance state, just as if the universe itself designed a perfect metal.

In theory, a Cooper pair is like electrons dancing together, but as the temperature rises, thermal motion gradually destroys the Cooper pair, which is why room temperature superconductivity is difficult to achieve.

The biggest challenge in superconductivity research is how to ensure the stability of Cooper pairs even at very high temperatures.

However, this problem was solved by this mineral, as if the universe itself had designed a structure for it.

The vast universe has prepared this amazing new element for them, and there must be many more new elements waiting for them to discover in the universe. This is precisely the significance of their exploration of outer space and extraterrestrial bodies.

"Theoretically, this mineral only exists on the moon, which is related to its vacuum and low gravity environment," Dr. Lin from the materials group explained, adjusting his glasses.

"We don't know much about it yet, but the moon's unique environment may have created it, and then..."

He paused briefly, noting that even materials experts couldn't yet explain its formation mechanism, and that it had, to a large extent, overturned current scientific understanding. Further in-depth research was needed.

"Then just let it lie there quietly, waiting for us to discover it."

Shi Yunlie continued:

"Now that we've found it, it will change everything. The only problem is..."

"Transportation costs".

Li Songjie said:

"The transportation cost is indeed too high, but since we were able to bring element 109 back from the moon, we can bring it back as well!"

He...might even be more important than Number 109!

Even now, finding the cheapest way to transport minerals back from the moon is something SpaceX has been researching.

"Reusable rockets..."

Li Songjie thought for a moment and said:

"It has already reduced transportation costs to a minimum, and the cost of transporting superconductor ore should be affordable."

At this moment, no one spoke, but their hearts were filled with anticipation. Yes, they could already transport hundreds of tons of element 109 back every year, and with reusable rockets, they could transport even more element 113 back to Earth.

Staring at the sample in the protective box, the superconductor with its metallic sheen danced in his eyes, tempting him.

Or rather, it tempts humanity.

And so, looking at this seemingly unremarkable piece of metal, Li Songjie said:
"In the future, perhaps we can build bigger rockets and bring more new elements. With them, everything will be changed."

Everyone understands the significance of room-temperature superconductors—they could even reshape the entire human society!

Or rather, from this moment on, human society has already changed!

……

"No, it will rewrite the entire history of human civilization!"

After putting down the report, Li Yi'an said:

"If the reserves of this mineral are sufficient to meet the needs of human society, and it is not just an occasional discovery, then human civilization will be rewritten!"

At this moment, Li Yi'an appeared extremely calm. After all, anyone with even a little physics knowledge knows the significance of room-temperature superconductors.

It was precisely because he deeply understood its significance that he ordered the establishment of a special research institution to conduct relevant research. However, little progress was made, and even the system could not provide him with answers, because the technology provided by the system was limited to existing human technology.

Room temperature superconductor.

Even in another world, this is a research area that has never achieved a breakthrough. Room-temperature superconductivity under normal pressure has always been the "holy grail" that condensed matter physics is waiting to be unlocked. Once successfully synthesized and achieving good performance, it will greatly promote related fields of physics, materials science, and engineering.

But who would have thought that this "Holy Grail" was hanging 38 kilometers above humankind!
The discovery of a room-temperature, room-pressure superconductor on the moon will have an impact far beyond single fields such as electricity, transportation, and computers; it will directly reshape the energy, industrial, aerospace, and even military landscape of the entire human society.

Simply put, superconducting cables can transmit power without loss, eliminating the need for high-voltage transmission towers and achieving grid efficiency close to 100%.

At the same time, superconducting magnets are also the core of tokamak devices. Room temperature superconductivity will significantly reduce the construction and operation costs of fusion reactors, and the "artificial sun" may very well become a reality.

With its controlled nuclear fusion reactor, there will be inexhaustible energy, which will not only change the Earth's energy structure, but also completely change the pace of human space exploration—nuclear fusion propulsion will even truly open the door to the "interstellar age of navigation".

Earth, little blue planet, none of that matters anymore. Humanity's future lies in the stars and the sea.

It would only take a few hours to reach Mars, and a few years, or even a decade or two, to reach Proxima Centauri...

This is exactly what Li Yi'an dreamed of: interstellar migration will become a reality, and humanity will no longer be confined to Earth. There is no need to even consider Mars, as it will merely be a transit point for humanity to reach Proxima Centauri. In the more distant deep space, there are Earth-like planets waiting for humanity to conquer.

At that time, humanity will enter a new era—the Age of Interstellar Exploration!

All of this is possible, and it may come to fruition.

All of this is thanks to the discovery of the "113th room-temperature superconductor" on the moon.

It will bring about earth-shattering changes to human civilization.

Of course, this is just a vision for the future. It will take time to realize all of this. Even with room-temperature superconductors, things will not be so easy to solve. Although room-temperature superconductors are the "holy grail" technology in the field of controlled nuclear fusion, their realization will clear one of the biggest engineering obstacles at present, making the design of fusion reactors simpler, cheaper, and more efficient.

However, it is not a "panacea." From the discovery of a new material to the final realization of the goal, a series of world-class challenges need to be solved, including material properties, engineering preparation, and system integration.

However, in the immediate future, it will still completely change the Earth.

It will also bring superconducting maglev trains, which can reach speeds of over 1000 kilometers per hour, reducing the travel time from Chang'an to Kuching to just one hour.

Moreover, its impact on aircraft design and the entire aviation industry will be revolutionary, and all known flight patterns will be completely overturned.

At the same time, superconductors will also bring revolutionary breakthroughs to electronic technology—increasing the processing speed of electronic devices by a million times.

　The previous chapter had an incorrect element number; it was element number 109, not element number 99. This has been corrected.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)