Isaac Silvera
Harvard University
Thursday, Mar. 29, 2012
102 JFB
Refreshments: 3:30 pm in 219 JFB
Lecture 4:00pm (102 JFB)
Title: Pressing for Metallic Hydrogen
Abstract:
In 1935 Wigner and Huntington predicted that solid molecular hydrogen would convert to an atomic metal when compressed to a high enough density. Subsequent theoretical papers have predicted high temperature superconductivity, atomic metallic liquid at high pressure and zero Kelvin, metastability, etc. A recent paper by Eremets and Troyan claim observation of metallic hydrogen at 2.7 megabar. I shall present background on the properties and phase diagram of hydrogen and its isotopes at high pressure, describe experimental techniques, and show that the evidence presented does not support the recent claim. Efforts to produce metallic hydrogen press on.
