The only sample of metallic hydrogen on Earth has vanished

The physics world was abuzz with excitement (and skepticism) last month when scientists from Harvard University claimed they had created a stable sample of metallic hydrogen. Their initial testing and paper garnered a great deal of interest, as no one had thus far been able to prove the theoretical material existed. The team said more testing would be done to confirm the material was indeed the fabled new form of hydrogen, but they now report the sample has vanished.

As the name implies, metallic hydrogen is a solid form of hydrogen with properties like a metal. It is believed to exist only when hydrogen is exposed to extremely high pressure under the right conditions. Many scientists think Jupiter's inner layers may contain liquid hydrogen, something the Juno probe may be able to confirm as it loops around the planet. Making metallic hydrogen here on Earth could have huge implications as it could act as a room temperature super-capacitor and more efficient rockets.

Harvard's Isaac Silvera and Ranga Dias claim they created the minuscule sample of metallic hydrogen (above) by compressing hydrogen atoms in a diamond anvil with 495 gigapascals of pressure (71.7 million pounds per square inch). They also used specially treated diamond surfaces with a layer of alumina to prevent the hydrogen atoms from escaping. After creating the sample they believed to be metallic hydrogen, the pair published a paper on the discovery. Silvera and Dias feared additional testing could damage the sample, and that may be what's now happened.

According to recent reports, the diamond anvil was damaged as the team was preparing to move the sample(Opens in a new window) to Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago for additional testing. This resulted in a loss of pressure on the sample, and now there's no sign of it. That doesn't necessarily mean it's gone, though. The bit of metallic hydrogen (if indeed that's what it was) measured just 1.5 micrometers by 10 micrometers. It may still be intact someplace in the equipment, or it could have returned to a gaseous state.