LK-99

[JoeStrout]

How are we not already talking about LK-99?

It's even on-topic, to some extent, since I would imagine (if it proves real) it would make a lot of things in polywell fusion (and perhaps other fusion approaches) much easier.

Collective brains of talk-polywell, go!

[Munchausen]

I think the polywell silent majority is carefully watching this unfolding.

Some positives some negatives...

Perhabs the ranking should be set at somewhat worthy of attention.....

And as entertaining as any TV-show or movie.

[ladajo]

This one is very interesting, however remains in the reproducible wait and see realm. Once we get confirmed reproduction, then "Holy Cow!"

[ltgbrown]

The disruption, if it proves to be as real as it seems, will be tremendous. Looking forward to seeing it! Fingers crossed.

[RERT]

On an optimistic note, a casual observer would assume that taking an HTSC superconducting tape and replacing the ReBCo layer with another substance might be quite straightforward.

I recall it took years for the HTSC superconductors to be formed into something like wire. It doesn’t feel like we’d need to wait that long again. Also, the incentive/demand is likely to be much higher.

[Munchausen]

This certainly looks like the real thing:

https://twitter.com/Andercot/status/168 ... 4UJQA&s=19

We shall see.

[Giorgio]

I have been digging everything I could on LK-99 since the last 2 weeks. While I am still not 100% convinced there are more and more replications coming online every day now.

If it proves true the real disruption will be to have identified a new working route for HTSC, and just imagine what we could have in few years of improvements.....

[mvanwink5]

Commercial fusion is near term and gets no excitement like this superconductor research story, a promise of a possibility. This is absurd, a complete lack of perspective, it smells like normal narrative smoke blowing, IMO. Sorry, UFO's got a lot of excitement too. Fusion is about to change the world in a way that superconductors can't.

[Munchausen]

https://twitter.com/andrewmccalip/statu ... 9208600576

Bad news: We now have a physical explanation for both the temperature-induced resistance drop as well as the magnetic levitation.

The unusual synthetic conditions clearly resulted in a multiphase sample. The fragment that was observed to exhibit magnetic levitation consisted of a very heterogeneous agglomeration of Cu2S, elemental Cu, Pb-apatite, and an unexpected impurity of metallic Fe. The levitation, therefore, is likely the result of magnetic torque on the Fe particles embedded within the material.

This seems consistent with other observations of a very low yield of magnetically responsive small-size shards.

The three orders of magnitude resistance drop is well explained by the Cu2S (Copper(I) sulfide).

End of story.

[ladajo]

Well, I guess wait and see produced no "Holy Cow!". Instead, an "Aw Shit." with a