Hot Wavelength

Chapter 54 (Miscalculation 2): Steam Engine

In November 2032, Liangguo Rocket City

Michael Max was both a genius and an impatient man.

He greatly admires Shakespeare's famous quote: "On the clock of time, there is only one word—now."

He couldn't wait to mobilize the entire production chain to produce a computer based entirely on a ternary architecture and components. For reasons of secrecy, he also didn't outsource the production of the prototype to a contract manufacturer.

Michael's own lab does not have an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machine for producing nanometers smaller than 7 nanometers; it only has a 28-nanometer deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography machine.

Michael certainly couldn't produce computing chips smaller than 7 nanometers, but the advantages of the ternary architecture could well compensate for this deficiency. Due to the use of ternary, the computing efficiency and energy consumption of 28-nanometer chips are superior to those of 7-nanometer and even smaller binary chips.

Michael used a ternary chip to connect with binary applications in the computer via a conversion protocol, creating a hybrid-base computer. He couldn't wait to upgrade and replace his external brain, VESSEL.

After verification, Michael confirmed that his and VESSEL's joint thinking ability had greatly improved, Daphne came over with little Vito, who was just learning to walk, to join in the fun.

Michael was both excited and nervous. With an unusually apprehensive expression, he said to Daphne, "I was just trying hard not to think about the question I most want to know the answer to."

"Would the super-light wave power station cause Mars to explode?" Daphne said understandingly. "Remember our son Vito's unique brain structure? I suggest you connect VESSEL with Vito."

Young Vito, still somewhat bewildered, put on the specially made helmet with Daphne's help. Once Michael was ready, he activated the device. His brainwaves instantly connected with his son and the external brain device, VESSEL.

Daphne watched the questions and answers on the screen intently, as if she were watching a live broadcast.

Question: "Would introducing superluminal waves to heat the metallic core of Mars cause Mars to explode?"

VESSEL replied, "No."

When Daphne saw the answer, she was initially puzzled, but then overjoyed for Michael. If it really wouldn't cause Mars to explode, wouldn't that be wonderful? Michael's Mars "backup" plan would then be feasible!
Michael, who was meditating, seemed a little surprised, so to be on the safe side, he asked a different question.

Question: "Could the imported superluminal energy heat the metallic core of Mars?"

VESSEL replied, "Yes."

Question: "Could the Martian core be heated enough to generate a strong magnetic field?"

VESSEL replied, "No."

Question: "The energy intensity for receiving and transmitting the superluminal waves should be sufficient, right? Isn't it enough?"

VESSEL replied, "That's enough."

Question: "Why is it that even though the energy input is sufficient, the temperature of the core metal cannot rise enough to generate a strong magnetic field?"

Daphne waited anxiously for an answer. The cursor on the screen blinked in place, and then the screen went completely black. It turned out that Michael had shut down the computer.

Michael took off his helmet, and Furney helped Vito take it off too. She couldn't help but ask, "Why is that?"

Michael slumped back into his chair, looking utterly dejected, and said in a low voice:
"Because the spark is leaking air!"

Daphne's Martian explosion hypothesis may sound bold or even outlandish at first, but it is not based on mere imagination. It is supported by a wealth of empirical evidence, especially in explaining the origin of the asteroid belt.

However, scientists who question the Daphne hypothesis also have valid points. That is, even if the planetary crust fractured under thermal forces, the fragments would still be held together by strong gravity. The kinetic energy of the fragmentation would not be sufficient to accelerate the debris to a speed exceeding Mars' escape velocity.

The planet's core accumulates enormous heat energy, so what physical mechanism does it use to eject surface debris into space?
There are four rocky planets in the solar system, with the following densities: Earth 5.5 grams per cubic centimeter, Mercury 5.4 grams per cubic centimeter, Venus 5.2 grams per cubic centimeter, and Mars 3.9 grams per cubic centimeter.

Mars has the lowest density, but its metallic core was not the coldest it ever was; in fact, it may have been the hottest.

Mars has far more volcanoes than Earth, including Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system, and a large group of volcanoes, indicating that Mars was once geologically more active than rocky planets like Earth.

Planetary interiors can be divided into multiple layers based on composition, with the simplest and most common division being the "shell, mantle, and core." The mantle layer has the greatest heat exchange, connecting the hot core with the cooler crust.

The Martian mantle contains 0.35% iron, nearly three times the 0.12% iron content of the Earth's mantle. All the iron in the mantle comes from the liquid metallic core under high temperature and pressure.

The Martian mantle has a much higher iron content than Earth's, which is further evidence that its geological activity is more active than Earth's.

Mars' axis of rotation is 25.19 degrees, higher than Earth's 23.45 degrees, and far greater than Venus's axis of rotation, which is only about 2 degrees. The hot, liquid metal inside the planet would experience violent deflection and shaking due to the combined effects of the planet's revolution and rotation.

The larger the axis of rotation, the more violent the shaking. Just like hot oil in a wok, the greater the angle at which the wok is tossed, the more the hot oil swirls.

The above evidence suggests that Mars' core has a higher thermal pressure than Earth's, and it releases heat energy outward more intensely and frequently. The question is, how does such a massive amount of heat energy escape through the mantle and crust to the outside of Mars?

The Earth's emission patterns and pathways have been identified. Volcanic eruptions played only a small part; the primary mechanism was the Earth's crust breaking apart into multiple plates, much like a heated walnut. The heat from within the Earth's crust travels through the mantle, acting on the tectonic plates and converting into immense kinetic energy from the collisions between them.

No traces of plate tectonics have been found on Mars!

Another strange thing is that there are billions of impact craters on the surface of Mars with diameters exceeding ten meters. What's even stranger is that many of these impact craters are cylindrical deep holes with straight, clean edges.

The claim that these neatly shaped holes were caused by meteorite impacts seems unlikely. A meteorite that crashes into the Martian surface at high speed would not have been able to disintegrate and leave neat circular cuts before plunging into the Martian interior.

How were these holes, which appear to be from meteorite impact craters, formed? VESSEL offered Michael another explanation.

The Martian mantle is less dense than Earth's, making it more prone to becoming a fluid at high temperatures. It is also weaker and less rigid, resulting in fewer gaps and an inability to form tectonic plates.

The greater penetrability allowed the heat from the Earth's core to create numerous holes in the Martian mantle, rather than leaving cracks.

Large holes were punched into some low-density areas of the Martian mantle, causing rocks to melt into magma that erupted from the surface, forming volcanoes. However, the billions of holes, due to their small diameter and low energy flux, could not penetrate the crust in one go.

In the repeated heat exchange process, billions of tiny holes are "processed" into smooth-edged cylinders by high-speed particle streams and hot steam from the Martian subsurface, much like a high-pressure water gun cutting metal.

Energy surges into the cylinder, reaching the solid crust beneath the liquid crust. The gas is cooled, having no visible effect on the surface. The immense energy is trapped within the solid crust and cannot escape.

The hot air from the holes kept gushing upwards, being cooled, then gushing again, then cooling again. As the energy accumulated, it spread beneath the thin liquid crust on the outermost layer of Mars, equivalent to installing billions of pneumatic nozzles.

At a critical point, when the kinetic energy converted from heat in these nozzles exceeds the gravitational potential energy of the Martian crust, just as the boiling steam can lift the lid of a kettle boiling water off a stove, the Martian crust will burst.

After Mars exploded, its original liquid crust (oceans and rivers) ruptured and was pushed into space, forming the asteroid belt. The solid crust (seabed) of Mars was exposed to become the ground, and billions of holes of various sizes connecting to the mantle can be seen everywhere, becoming important evidence for the Mars explosion hypothesis.

“I’ve been searching for the physical mechanism of the Martian explosion, but it seems I’ve overlooked something.” Daphne, like a primary school student who has just solved a puzzle, continued, “Many of the holes on Mars are not impact craters, but vents. I never thought it would be so simple. Mars is actually a steam engine that has been shut down.”

While Daphne was overjoyed at discovering the physical mechanism of the Martian explosion, she noticed an unprecedented sense of despair in Michael. Daphne wanted to comfort him but didn't know what to say.

If Mars really did explode once and is now completely cooled, why can't it reheat its core?

Daphne made a vivid analogy: before Mars exploded, like Earth and Venus, its crust and mantle tightly enveloped its core, like a boiled egg. The yolk (core) was heated, and the heat was conducted to the egg white (mantle) and the eggshell (crust). When the shell cooled down, the heat from the egg white and yolk could not escape, so the shell cracked.

However, if Mars has already exploded once, it is no longer a well-sealed egg, but a piece of cheese or steamed cake full of vertical holes. No matter how much energy you put into the core of the steamed cake (the kernel), you cannot break through the outer skin of the steamed cake, because the heat energy will escape to the outside through the holes.

Therefore, Michael's plan to build a superluminal power station on Mars would not be able to heat the Martian core, because the injected heat energy could not be concentrated, and the cooled metal in the core would not become liquid, thus making it impossible to restart the Martian magnetic field.

The air seemed to freeze. Michael broke the silence and said, "Do you remember the slipper bread? We were only concerned with whether the heating of Mars' core would cause the Martian crust to crack. Not only did you miss it, but I missed it too. Who would have thought that Mars would be leaking gas everywhere?"

Michael slowly stood up, picked up little Vito, rested his son's head on his shoulder, and said to Daphne, "Many people, including you, warned me about the risk of Mars exploding when it came to building a superluminal power station on Mars. But I was determined to go ahead. Now it seems I don't even have the chance to take that risk anymore."

Michael then exclaimed, "The answer is really surprising; both sides are wrong. Because of the gas leak, Mars won't explode, and it also can't generate a strong magnetic field by heating its core."

“Even if you can’t turn Mars into a second Earth by building a superluminal power station, your Mars survival plan is still a great feat. You can continue,” Daphne comforted her.

Michael shook his head and said, "That's not the same thing. Without the super-light wave power station, having a small group of people living in dark capsules deep in Martian caves doesn't count as a real Martian city. I still want to be a 'backup plan' for Earth."

The two fell silent again. Daphne changed the subject, saying, "Although the natural mechanism for the Martian explosion has been found, there is another possibility. Tens of millions or hundreds of millions of years ago, is it possible that someone built a superluminal power station on Mars, just like you think? In other words, there was human involvement, which turned Mars into a steam engine and eventually caused it to explode?"

Michael finally managed a smile and said to Daphne, "You have quite the imagination. Are they aliens? Why would they explode Mars? Did they also miscalculate like us?"

Daphne completely ignored Michael's slightly sarcastic tone, lost in her own wild imagination.

Michael handed Vito to Daphne, straightened his clothes, and said, "I need to go to a meeting with Dr. James to discuss our alternative plans. I'll come back and ask VESSEL when I've thought it through."

Daphne stared in astonishment at the man before her who never gave up, watching him walk towards the door. Michael turned back and explained to Daphne:

"Although it is much more difficult than terraforming Mars, I still want to give it a try. Our alternative target is Venus."

"Oh? The Mars project just hit a roadblock, and you're already researching Venus? Wouldn't it be better if you calmed down, rested, and adjusted for a while?" Daphne advised with a mix of concern and reproach.

Michael responded firmly: "Don't forget Shakespeare's famous quote: 'On the clock of time, there is only one word—now.'"

&
The poem composed of collected verses at the end of the chapter:
Seeking each other, yet unable to cross the rainbow; Song Dynasty, Lin Xiyi

I want to go to the source but the road is not clear. Ming Dynasty, Huang Zhongzhao
Whatever achievements I may make in the future, I wish to fulfill them. — Liang Yingding

Wandering the vast world, I send my footprints. (Ming Dynasty, Luo Feng)

(End of this chapter)