A genius? I just love studying.

Chapter 300 This is the charm of materials science

Southern University of Science and Technology, Chemistry Laboratory

The laboratory was filled with a peculiar smell, a mixture of the coldness of liquid nitrogen and the faint ozone emitted by the instruments.

Chen Hui stood in front of the central control console, took a deep breath, and stared intently at the huge display screen in front of him. On the screen, a complex three-dimensional molecular structure was slowly rotating, emitting a faint blue light. This was the first material structure he had obtained after training all the data.

"First sequence generation begins."

Professor Xue Qikun's voice rang out from the side.

As the command was given, the sophisticated synthesis devices surrounding the device began to hum.

The high-energy laser array emits a low growl, projecting a precise energy beam onto the raw material substrate suspended inside the vacuum chamber.

In several crucibles nearby, specific nickel, phosphorus, and lead salt powders are being heated to extremely high temperatures, turning into vapor streams, waiting to be introduced into the reaction chamber for atomic-level printing.

The structure calculated based on the model is controlling this incredibly complex dance.

Chen Hui stared intently at the progress bar and the real-time data stream on the screen. Everything seemed to be proceeding as planned, with atoms being placed one by one into their designated positions according to the blueprint generated by the model.

Suddenly, a piercing alarm ripped through the air!

On the screen, the curve representing structural stability suddenly plummeted, falling below the red line.

Inside the vacuum chamber, a faint but clear crackling sound came from.

"Structural collapse! Lattice distortion in region 3!"

Looking at the data displayed on the screen, Chen Hui frowned.

The first attempt has obviously failed.

Only a mass of gray-black, disordered impurities remained inside the reaction chamber.

Failure was expected, and Chen Hui was not discouraged by it. He went to the control panel, where the massive data stream of the failed process was being rewound and replayed on the screen, slowed down by dozens of times.

Countless curves representing different parameters—energy flow intensity, atomic deposition rate, substrate temperature, vacuum level, and lattice stress—are interwoven to form a complex and dynamic graph.

Chen Hui's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, quickly scanning the jumping numbers and waveforms. His fingers slid, zoomed, and focused on the virtual console.

"Stop!" he suddenly commanded.

The image freezes 0.38 seconds before the structure collapses.

“Here,” he pointed to one of the curves representing local lattice stress, which was quietly climbing and soon exceeded the model’s preset safety threshold, but most of the other parameters still looked normal.

"The energy beam calibration was slightly off by 0.05 microradians, which resulted in a very small angular deviation in the momentum vector of the atomic deposition in region 3."

As Chen Hui spoke, he quickly brought up the structure diagram generated by the model for comparison.

“Look at the model’s calculations,” he said, zooming in on a section of the blueprint that required extremely precise nickel-phosphorus bonding. “The model requires that a covalent bond be formed at a specific angle here, with both the energy and the angle having to be perfect.”

Our actuator, that high-energy laser, can theoretically do it, but in actual operation, there's a tiny, previously undetected periodic energy fluctuation.

He pulled up the laser's own diagnostic logs and, sure enough, found extremely subtle power fluctuations on a millisecond timescale.

This fluctuation is negligible in the synthesis of most conventional materials, but it is fatal for the superconducting structure required by the model to be built with such precise atomic-level construction.

“It’s like carving with a theoretically absolutely precise engraving knife, but the hand holding the knife is trembling imperceptibly.” Chen Hui muttered to himself, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter. “Every tremor causes an atom to fall out of place. The deviation accumulates, just like when you’re building a block set, one block is slightly crooked. Eventually, the entire delicate structure collapses just as it is about to be completed because of excessive internal stress.”

He got it.

The problem isn't that the generated structure diagram is wrong; the structure diagram might be perfect and self-consistent. The problem lies in that tiny gap between the real world and the ideal model.

The model's instructions are based on an ideal environment with physical laws, but the instructions it issues need to be executed by devices with inherent precision limits and errors in reality. Lasers are not perfect, and environmental control systems cannot completely shield all microscopic disturbances.

"The reason for the first failure was that the micro-precision of the actuator was insufficient to fully meet the extreme requirements of the model instructions." He concluded, his tone calm but with a hint of enlightenment, "The model was running too fast, and the hardware couldn't keep up."

This discovery did not discourage him; instead, it pointed him in the right direction.

Either improve the hardware precision to an almost abnormal level, or... let the model learn to compromise, taking into account the tiny errors and fluctuations of existing equipment as boundary conditions when designing the structure, to generate a more fault-tolerant structural diagram that can be robustly synthesized even in an imperfect world.

……

Germany, Max Planck Society, Research Center for Controlled Nuclear Fusion
The piercing alarm blared throughout the control room.
"shit!"

Milian cursed and ordered the researchers to shut down the experimental equipment, but he himself stared at the data on the screen and fell into deep thought.

Before the perturbation was injected, his model worked perfectly. But as turbulence was about to form, and he tried to control the magnetic field to suppress it, the model's predicted curves diverged dramatically from the actual data, until it exploded.

Ultimately, this caused the plasma to completely spiral out of control, turning the experimental setup into a sieve.

This wasn't the first time he'd faced this situation. Almost every time he finished building the model, he'd get stuck at this step. No matter what corrections he made, it was always just patching things up, and he couldn't completely solve the problem.

"Those Chinese people say they've solved this problem?"

Is it really possible?

Milian stared at the screen and asked dejectedly.

"He's Chen Hui!"

Felix, standing nearby, sighed softly.

Both he and Milian were applied mathematicians and had always been indifferent to the accolades Chen Hui had received. However, after Chen Hui ventured into their field, they realized that a genius is a genius no matter where he goes.

A problem that the other party could solve in a few months has been troubling them for over a year, and it's foreseeable that it will continue to trouble them for a long time to come.

"How do you think he will solve this problem?"

Milian suddenly raised his head and looked intently at Felix.

Felix frowned and pondered for a long time before finally shaking his head helplessly. "If I had been able to think of that, we wouldn't have been stuck here for over a year."

"So, if we understand his thought process, will we be able to solve this problem?"

A bright light shone in Milian's eyes.

"But how can we understand?"

"Why don't you just go and check out his latest published paper!"

Milian was radiant. Generally speaking, a scholar's research fields are related; no one is studying partial differential equations today and number theory tomorrow.

Therefore, Chen Hui's solution to the problem of plasma model explosion is likely hidden in his recent paper.

"His recently published paper is a proof of the Riemann Hypothesis."

Felix gave another wry smile.

"what?"

Milian turned her head in confusion, thinking that Felix had mispronounced the name. How could someone's research span such a wide range?
……

Chen Hui's second experiment also ended in failure. Clearly, the synthesis of high-temperature superconductivity is not so easy, otherwise Schultz and his team would not have taken more than a year to make a breakthrough.

Chen Hui wasn't in a hurry. He completely relinquished control to the Plasma Research Institute, allowing Song Yuntao and Liu Yong to collaborate, integrating their technologies into a single device.

However, it was "Huaxia Mathematics" that gave Chen Hui some trouble.

The first issue, due to the significance of the Riemann Hypothesis, still caused a sensation in the international mathematics community despite only containing one paper. However, in the second issue, although Terence Tao's research was also of great value, this single paper was far from enough to maintain the previous influence of *Chinese Mathematics*.

Even after publishing the proof of the Riemann Hypothesis, no international mathematicians were willing to submit articles to "Chinese Mathematics".

He had, of course, commissioned articles from major mathematicians in China, but to get published, one had to reach a certain level, and the results that met the publication requirements were not easy to obtain.

Even for most mathematicians, if they could produce results of that caliber, why wouldn't they choose other already well-known journals to submit to "Chinese Mathematics"?

Ultimately, you still have to rely on yourself!

Chen Hui sighed softly.

He decided to set himself a small goal in the gap between his research on the synthesis of high-temperature superconducting materials, at least to support the journal he founded.

Chen Hui first rejected the remaining millennium problems. He knew that these kinds of problems would require him to devote himself to them for at least a year and a half to make a breakthrough, but he certainly couldn't devote himself to other things right now.

Therefore, perhaps we can settle for second best and try to prove a less important problem, such as Goldbach's conjecture.

After thinking for a moment, he sent an email to his student Chloe.

Because of her identity, Chloe was unable to participate in the research on controlled nuclear fusion. In the organization's view, she was not even as steadfast and reliable as Elena.

However, it is most suitable for conducting pure theoretical research.

With his own guidance, he believed Chloe could accomplish the task.

Thinking of number theory, he couldn't help but think of another student of his, who had a unique talent for the subject, but unfortunately...

……

November in Beijing was already getting cold. Tian Yang, walking on campus, tightened his coat. As people get older, they become more and more afraid of the cold.

Soon, he entered Zhihua Building and felt much warmer.

However, instead of heading to his own office, he turned around and went to Zhang Jiping's office.

dong dong dong.

"Hey, Lao Tian, ​​what a rare guest!"

Zhang Jiping looked at Tian Yang with a half-smile, "You wouldn't come here without a reason, would you? So, what do you want?"

"Well, the end of the year is just around the corner, and the process of adding new academicians to the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering will begin soon."

Tian Yang got straight to the point, saying, "With Chen Hui's contributions, he should be qualified for either the Chinese Academy of Sciences or the Chinese Academy of Engineering, right?"

The two were born in the same year and worked together at Yanbei University for many years, so they had a very close relationship, and Tian Yang didn't hide anything from them.

"Why don't you just recommend one yourself?"

Zhang Jiping rolled his eyes at Tian Yang.

According to the rules, as long as the applicant is under 65 years old, only one recommendation from an academician is required.

"Of course I would recommend him, but if I recommend him to the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and you recommend him to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, there is no contradiction."

Tian Yang said it as a matter of course.

"?"

Zhang Jiping's eyes widened. "The title 'academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering' is a general term. You really want to become an academician of both academies?"

"With Xiaohui's achievements, why wouldn't he become an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences or the Chinese Academy of Engineering?"

Tian Yang said without any hesitation.

"What about Yuan Xinyi?"

"He's been working on a project with a bunch of academicians lately, so don't worry about him. Someone will definitely recommend him."

Tian Yang waved his hand.

"Grandparents really do love their grandchildren more."

Zhang Jiping chuckled for a moment, but in the end he nodded, "Alright, but you also understand that the selection of academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering is based on contributions to China, not on academic achievements. I advise you not to have too high expectations."

"Just make the recommendations, and I'll take care of the rest."

Tian Yang waved his hand and said with great pride.

……

Plasma Institute

The noise of the laboratory has long since subsided, leaving only the low hum of the ventilation system and the occasional flashing indicator lights of the equipment in the distance.

Yang Chi did not leave. He stood like a frozen statue in front of the pile of dusty waste samples in the corner.

They have been conducting research on the first wall material for more than half a year. Even with the help of Chen Hui's model and the research data from various research institutes over the years, they still encountered many problems.

It's almost as if Chen Hui has personally taken charge of solving the problem of high-temperature superconductivity. He knows Chen Hui well; if they can't make progress quickly, they'll become the ones holding back.

These were the failed products of the last high-flux plasma irradiation experiment. They had made high-temperature resistant materials and could also synthesize radiation-resistant materials, but unfortunately, when they tried to combine the two, all sorts of problems always arose.

"If it were the junior apprentice, what would he do in this situation?"

Yang Chi stared at the pile of scrap, lost in thought.

Suddenly, a beam of cold white overhead light swept across the broken edge of a sample at an extremely random angle, refracting a deep, restrained blue luster that he had never seen before.

It wasn't the typical luster of metal; it was more like a small, solidified, silent piece of the deep sea.

As if by some strange impulse, he put on gloves and picked up the palm-sized, uneven, dark gray sample.

The feel of it is very unique. It is neither as cold as metal nor as brittle as ceramic. Instead, it has a warm and damp feeling, and it is lighter than expected.

His heart skipped a beat.

A researcher's intuition, a mixture of curiosity and obsession, seized him.

He practically ran to bring the sample to the preliminary analyzer.

The scanning electron microscope results came out first.

The microstructure revealed made him gasp; it was an extremely complex three-dimensional interlocking nanofiber network, with a finer, previously unrecorded reinforcing phase evenly distributed within it.

This structure perfectly mimics the toughness and lightness of coral skeletons, yet far surpasses natural creations.

Subsequent data surged like a tsunami, pushing the limits of his understanding.

Its thermal conductivity is ridiculously high, almost four times that of the best tungsten alloys available to date. This means that it can instantly conduct and disperse terrifying heat, greatly reducing thermal stress.

Nanoindentation tests show that its hardness and toughness achieve a balance that defies common sense in materials science, making it both indestructible and effectively resistant to brittleness.

Preliminary plasma irradiation simulations show that its resistance to high-energy particles is beyond imagination, with a sputtering rate so low that it is almost undetectable by instruments, and...

Most shockingly, preliminary neutronics calculations show that its transmutation products have an extremely short half-life, making it a near-perfect low-activation material!
(End of this chapter)