Today might have seen the biggest physics discovery of my lifetime. I don't think people fully grasp the implications of an ambient temperature / pressure superconductor. Here's how it could totally change our lives.
— Alex Kaplan (@alexkaplan0) July 26, 2023
1. 100 billion kWh of electricity are wasted on transmission losses each year in the US alone. That's equivalent to 3 of our largest nuclear reactors running 24/7. Superconductivity enables lossless electricity transmission at high voltages and currents.
— Alex Kaplan (@alexkaplan0) July 26, 2023
2. According to the authors, the LK-99 material can be prepared in about 34 hrs with extremely basic lab equipment (a mortar & pestle, basic vacuum, and furnace). These results could replicate within days-weeks. pic.twitter.com/4opttoVq1z
— Alex Kaplan (@alexkaplan0) July 26, 2023
3. Nuclear fusion reactors rely on superconductors for plasma confinement. Modern designs use RBCO/YBCO superconductors cooled with LN2 or Liquid He, creating a huge temperature gradient and challenging operation. Ambient superconductors enable a whole host of new reactor designs
— Alex Kaplan (@alexkaplan0) July 26, 2023
4. Quantum computers use superconductors to preserve coherence in qubits. Small changes in temperature and pressure can cause the entire QC to fail during operation. Imagine a room temperature quantum computer on your desktop – now possible.
— Alex Kaplan (@alexkaplan0) July 26, 2023
5. Superconductors might be the best batteries out there. Simply inject a current and keep it in the coil until you need it. Previously, too costly to maintain. Now, totally feasible.
— Alex Kaplan (@alexkaplan0) July 26, 2023
6. Your iPhone won't overheat when playing subway surfer with a youtube video in the corner anymore! Ultra-efficient computer chips will have 0 resistive losses during operation with superconductors. No need for cooling fans!!
— Alex Kaplan (@alexkaplan0) July 26, 2023
7. And, the common ones: super-cheap MRI machines, MagLev trains everywhere, and a super efficient electric grid. Basically, this: pic.twitter.com/kjys3Q5oYF
— Alex Kaplan (@alexkaplan0) July 26, 2023
8/8 I cannot contain my excitement. It feels like January of 2020 with a huge wave coming that no one realizes yet, but in a much better way. What a time to be alive!! Check out the original paper: t.co/s84E0QSQYe
— Alex Kaplan (@alexkaplan0) July 26, 2023
addendum: a lot of my @PrincetonPhys friends are convinced this is pretty legit, and I am too. Like, Fig 4 is a pretty good sign that (and was nowhere to be found in the previous Dias et. al fiasco). Hopes are up. pic.twitter.com/HYjms5en6t
— Alex Kaplan (@alexkaplan0) July 26, 2023
h/t Dan