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Nuclear pasta in neutron stars may be the strongest material in the universe

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Re: Nuclear pasta in neutron stars may be the strongest material in the universe

#51

Post by GW150914 »

sbmassey wrote: post #48
ericfrenkiel wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, “hard” scifi is a sub-genre that adheres to physics as much as we know it to be true - no faster-than-light travel, for instance. Arthur C. Clarke and his 2001 series as well as Nivens and his Ringworld series would be good examples, whereas Dan Simmons and his Hyperion Cantos trilogy, while extremely well-written, wouldn’t qualify.

Niven has FTL all over, and lots of psychic powers type stuff to boot.

I’ll never understand the voting patterns here. The plot of Ringworld is literally predicated on a second generation FTL dive. I love the series and it’s semi-hard sci-fi, but the whole thing is predicated on a hyperdrive, and how a civilization with it would build and live differently from a vastly powerful species without it.

Re: Nuclear pasta in neutron stars may be the strongest material in the universe

#52

Post by nine_k »

ericfrenkiel wrote: post #30
BurningFrog wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Hard" science fiction...

Yes, “hard” scifi is a sub-genre that adheres to physics as much as we know it to be true - no faster-than-light travel, for instance. Arthur C. Clarke and his 2001 series as well as Nivens and his Ringworld series would be good examples, whereas Dan Simmons and his Hyperion Cantos trilogy, while extremely well-written, wouldn’t qualify.

don't forget Peter Watts.

Re: Nuclear pasta in neutron stars may be the strongest material in the universe

#53

Post by InclinedPlane »

kilroy123 wrote: post #40
andrepd wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nuclear pasta is a phenomenon that appears when electromagnetic repulsion and strong force are more or less on the same strength. This only happens in a relatively narrow band of (stupendously high) densities. So yes, nuclear pasta does not exist anywhere in the universe outside of a ~100m band inside neutron stars. Source: I studied this for 2 years.

But... what _would_ happen if you instantly (and magically) transported a teaspoon of it, into a random place on earth?

A significant amount of Earth is already made out of neutron star debris. Outside of the extremely high pressure environment it decays to ordinary atomic matter.

Re: Nuclear pasta in neutron stars may be the strongest material in the universe

#54

Post by BurningFrog »

ericfrenkiel wrote: post #30
BurningFrog wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Hard" science fiction...

Yes, “hard” scifi is a sub-genre that adheres to physics as much as we know it to be true - no faster-than-light travel, for instance. Arthur C. Clarke and his 2001 series as well as Nivens and his Ringworld series would be good examples, whereas Dan Simmons and his Hyperion Cantos trilogy, while extremely well-written, wouldn’t qualify.

I just tried to make a dumb joke about this very hard material on the star.

I deserve the downvotes. I'm not even a real dad.

Re: Nuclear pasta in neutron stars may be the strongest material in the universe

#56

Post by jacquesm »

domparise wrote: post #16
jacquesm wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Potential energy is mgh. Nothing to do with electricity or temperature.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_potential_energy

'Neutron stars'... this is not about Electric Potetial Energy so that link is pointless.
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