Gold Superheated to 14-Times Its Melting Point Ensures Solidity

• A new study in Nature reveals that gold remains solid at temperatures far above its melting point when heated rapidly.

• This is a significant change from previous theories that suggested a solid would melt due to disordered atoms.

• The study uses laser pulses to heat gold films about 50 nm thick, without allowing time for expansion, disintegration, or liquefy.

• X-ray radiation streaks were produced and emitted, revealing the gold atoms were still arranged in the ordered pattern typical of solid crystals.

• The researchers suggest that rapid heating could overtake the effects of slower heating, indicating that a material can remain solid even at a temperature where melting is expected to be unavoidable.