The Heavens: A Qing, the Yue Girl at the beginning

Chapter 478 Superheavy Elements, Time Crystals (4k)

Not long ago, in the Sword Dynasty world, in an inconspicuous cave deep in Wushan Mountain, Zhao Qing's real body was concentrating on watching Xia Mi use many materials to build a simple alchemy platform, as well as the element conversion matrix gradually taking shape in the center.

It was a low cylinder cast entirely of quartz glass. The cylinder surface and the inner and outer walls were all covered with ancient runes layered and interlaced. The lines were smooth and complex, some of which were entwined like vines, while others were dotted like stars.

Dark blue mercury flows in the complex deep grooves, which is used to stimulate some unknown spiritual effect to promote the flow of elements inside.

A large piece of pure lead was placed on top of the blood-red Philosopher's Stone, shrouded in a faint light, and it lay there quietly, waiting for the upcoming transformation.

Around the entire alchemical matrix, there is a large mass of transparent liquid, presenting a crystal clear texture. A faint blue mist is emitted from the edges, floating gently like gauze. Occasionally, reddish silk threads pass through the surface, and low-energy yin and yang changes occur between the blue mist, stimulating uniform and stable magnetic and electric fields.

This is a low-temperature bubble chamber made by Zhao Qing using Taiyin real water. It is designed to detect the tracks left by high-energy charged particles emitted from the reaction zone due to the ionization effect during the conversion process of lead to gold.

Because her mind can directly sense the subtle changes in the state of her own true energy, and she has a high degree of control over the electromagnetic field applied to it, she can frequently record ionization track information and quickly restore it, and the effect has almost reached the level of currently more advanced particle detectors.

During the period of element conversion reaction, by observing and analyzing the length, density, curvature direction and other data of these tracks, Zhao Qing can clearly distinguish the types and properties of the known particles, and thus try to deduce the specific process and principles of refining lead into gold.

"The reaction has already begun." After muttering a few spells and remotely activating the alchemy matrix, Xia Mi opened her eyes wide and looked at the scene in the Taiyin True Water Bubble Room. She was also quite curious about the combination of human high-energy physics and dragon alchemy:
"In about 15 minutes, half of the lead will be converted into gold, and then the speed will become slower and slower. It will take two and a half hours to reach 99.9% purity... This should be the so-called half-life!"

"15 minutes, which is about the half-life of a free neutron."

Zhao Qing was thoughtful in his mind, carefully sensing the fleeting ionization tracks in the Taiyin True Water. He discovered many characteristics of electrons, protons, muons, positrons, π+ mesons, and π- mesons, and couldn't help but come up with many hypothetical guesses.

But after thinking about it, she raised some other questions: "Can alchemy obtain stable superheavy elements through element transmutation? It is generally believed that there are a group of superheavy nuclides with stable properties and extremely long lifespans near nuclides with 114 protons and 184 neutrons."

"When it comes to atomic numbers 126 and 164, there seems to be the possibility of the existence of stable islands. In the relevant predictions, elements with atomic numbers 126, 138, 154 and 164 are likely to exist for a long time and have the potential to form macroscopic substances and realize certain applications."

According to the records of "Ice Sea Fragments", in the era when the dragon clan was prosperous, the ancients had to pass through a holy road to pay homage to the Dragon King as subjects. The snake-faced human sculptures on both sides represented the metal elements controlled by the Dragon King. According to the alchemical element table, there are a total of 88 elements.

Although the complete alchemical element table has been lost in the contemporary hybrid world, it can be concluded from this information that Norton has mastered at least eighty-eight metal elements. If they are arranged completely according to the periodic table, he should be able to refine up to element 112.

However, the highest mass elements existing naturally on Earth stop at element 98, californium. To be more precise, uranium 92 is basically the last heavy element with considerable reserves, and it can be obtained through mining and smelting, while elements 93 and above are mainly produced through artificial synthesis.

All elements heavier than californium must be produced through artificial synthesis, and the output is extremely low. Californium can be produced in grams per year, and einsteinium in milligrams. The cost is ridiculously high and has reached the limit of what can be put into production and application.

The heavy actinides after einsteinium have very short half-lives and cannot be produced by neutron bombardment of light elements, but can only be produced by particle accelerators. Therefore, no single substance visible to the naked eye has been produced yet. Einsteinium is the last element that has been studied in its pure elemental form on a macroscopic scale.

From this point of view, if the Dragon Civilization fails to master the technology of suppressing element decay for a long time, it is highly likely that it will not bring metal elements of fermium 100 and above under its control. After all, it is difficult to take out even a small grain - especially compared with the super-heavy stable island elements that may be refined later.

A bunch of radioactive metal elements with a half-life of less than one second have no room for practical application at all. On the contrary, stable elements with a half-life of up to hundreds of millions of years, coupled with their special properties, are undoubtedly much more valuable than the former and are more qualified to be placed in the Road to the Temple.

"...Under the conversion effect of the Philosopher's Stone, this is naturally feasible. In fact, the Word Spirit Candle Dragon and Rhine can synthesize a small amount of these super-heavy stable nuclides, but the output is still too low, and is generally only used for matrix burning and blade strengthening of top-level alchemical weapons."

Xia Mi hesitated for a moment and added, "Several types of these super-heavy liquid metals are far more lethal to dragons than refined mercury, and can even reach the level of the Philosopher's Stone. As long as a small amount enters the blood circulation, life will be irreversible."

Is the theory of the island of stability really true? Could the super-heavy liquid metal be the poison used by "Taotie" in the seven deadly sins? I wonder if Angers' folding knife also has this kind of poison? Zhao Qing's heart moved slightly, and he had many ideas about the application of this kind of super-heavy elements.

Firstly, as ultra-high-density substances, their obstruction to the flow of true Qi and vital energy will be far greater than that of low-order elements. Only a thin layer can produce an effect thousands of times greater than the former, and the electrons outside the nucleus of these elements are already close to the speed of light, which will produce extraordinary properties.

If it is deeply combined with Yuan Qi to form related spiritual materials, its strength is likely to far exceed that of conventional spiritual golds, such as black iron, cold iron, black gold, etc., reaching a higher level. If it undergoes multiple refining steps and compresses the atomic radius, it may have incredible potential.

Of course, in Zhao Qing's speculation, the materials such as thunder scale iron obtained by refining black iron might be the stable island elements produced by the fusion of heavy nuclei, and their state after being transformed into spiritual materials. Because of the special energy structure between the electrons and the vital energy that cause the relativistic effect, the vacuum can be polarized, which is why they have such amazing properties.

Judging from Xia Mi's words, the faction of the King of Earth and Mountains should not have mastered the means to synthesize superheavy stable nuclides. If they want to learn more about the properties of these metals, in addition to relying on their own research, the assistance of the King of Bronze and Fire will probably be indispensable.

"Using the theory of human quantum mechanics to describe the alchemy of element transmutation, it is essentially the use of spiritual elements to interfere with the process of virtual particles that are constantly fluctuating in the vacuum."

Xia Mi tried to explain it in scientific language: "All alchemical reactions require the participation of the spirit, and this is the reason... Through the 'real' observation of high-dimensional consciousness, the uncertainty of virtual particles is affected, thus achieving quantum effects catalyzed by the spirit."

"The vast majority of word spirits are actually the application of alchemical reactions. They trigger directional changes in the four elements and conventional substances in spiritual resonance, producing complex subsequent effects, which are used in the production and combat of our dragons..."

"…There should be only a few processes that can affect the stability of atomic nuclei and create virtual particles of elements. If nothing unexpected happens, the principle of this reaction is actually to make some slight changes to the lifetime of virtual pions, thereby affecting the transmission efficiency and range of strong nuclear force."

Zhao Qing, who had already had a similar theory, nodded slightly, agreeing with Xia Mi's statement, and guessed that the fluctuation and interference of mental power in the process of consciousness observation may have played a key role.

In a sense, it can be regarded as the existence of the fifth fundamental force. Of course, in reality it is likely to be more similar to interaction mechanisms such as Pauli exclusion and Higgs field, and it may also be a part of the true fifth force.

The soul residing deep in the brain should also use this force to frequently exchange information with the multi-quantum coherent system in the brain potential signal, thus completing the construction of the unity of body and spirit. However, the spiritual power of most mortals is too low in energy and too long in wavelength. There is no way to centrally control and use it, and there is a lack of excellent media such as true qi, vital energy, and dragon blood, so it is difficult to interact with matter.

"π meson?" Looking at the gradually rising golden color on the surface of the lead block through the bubble chamber, Xia Mi seemed to understand: "That should be it. Virtual π mesons, particles that transmit nuclear force, are undoubtedly the key to element transmutation."

In quantum chromodynamics (QCD) that describes strong interactions, the strong force between quarks is realized through the exchange of eight types of gluons, while the nuclear force is not a fundamental interaction; it is actually a residual effect of the strong interaction between nucleons.

Between the protons and neutrons in the nucleus, the strong nuclear force is borne by the pion corresponding to the Yukawa theory, a particle composed of quarks and antiquarks. By absorbing and emitting pions, neutrons and protons can achieve mutual conversion and are firmly bound together.

However, because the mass of the pion (273 times the mass of an electron) is somewhat too large for a neutron or proton, this process theoretically violates the law of conservation of energy and is therefore considered to be a virtual particle born from vacuum fluctuations.

According to the uncertainty principle, particles can "borrow" energy from thin air to create virtual particles, and then this energy must disappear immediately. The shorter the time, the greater the uncertainty. If the energy required to create a pion from thin air is to be generated, the uncertainty time should be on the order of 10^23 seconds.

This is a very, very short period of time, during which the uncertainty principle allows the birth of a virtual pion. Even at the speed of light, the maximum distance a pion can travel in such a short period of time is about 10^15 meters, which is exactly the distance of the nuclear force.

By reducing or increasing the uncertainty of the virtual pions that transmit nuclear force, the lifetime of the pions can be extended or shortened, thereby affecting the effective range of the strong nuclear force.

Under this fine-tuning of the nuclear force, some protons and neutrons inside the nucleus begin to rearrange themselves, and the originally stable lead nucleus (Pb) may become unstable, while the gold nucleus (Au) becomes relatively more stable.

By precisely controlling this process, allowing the neutrons and protons to escape or induce decay, this advanced alchemy of element transmutation can gradually transform lead nuclei into gold nuclei, achieving the effect of "turning stone into gold."

Referring to this series of information, we may be able to get a glimpse of the principle by which the previous dragon was able to fuse nuclear warheads, form nuclear energy organs within its body, and assist in combat.

The Wind King's world-destroying words, Indra's Wrath, most likely involve interference with virtual photons, which can enhance the range and effects of electromagnetic forces to a certain extent, for example, forming a strange electric field that propagates in a directional manner.

“…That’s basically the principle.”

Zhao Qing roughly explained his idea: "It is no wonder that superheavy stable nuclides can be produced by changing the stable radius of the nucleus... It is a pity that the scale and magnitude of this kind of lifespan interference are extremely small, and it requires permanent consumption of spiritual elements. Otherwise, I am afraid that something extraordinary can be created."

If the lifetime of the pion can be extended to 10 times, so that the range of the strong nuclear force reaches the atomic scale and can be maintained for a long time, then the "strong interaction force material" of the water droplets in the three-body system may be realized and can be used as weapons and protective gear.

This material is at least a trillion times stronger than steel, and in theory has properties similar to quark confinement. After a single atom is shattered, the huge nuclear force binding energy is enough to spontaneously create another atom to fill it up.

In comparison, the strength of ordinary black iron is only hundreds of times that of steel, and ordinary recycled metal is only dozens of times. Deadpool scales are about five or six times that of steel. The gap is really too big.

If there is no limit on density and there is no fear of falling into the center of the earth, by simply extending the nuclear force several times, perhaps an extremely heavy neutron armor can be made. The more peculiar hyperon degenerate state and meson degenerate state armor can also be attempted to be made.

By the way, in addition to quantum interference of spiritual elements, Zhao Qing has also conceived several other methods that may affect the lifespan and range of media particles. It is not known whether they can be realized in the future.

After briefly discussing the concept of this super defense, she continued to record the data of the Taiyin True Water Bubble Chamber. While studying how to achieve this effect by relying on "living" spiritual thoughts rather than killed spiritual elements, she turned to a new topic:

"When it comes to words that can provide defense, the wind and earth elements seem to have their own strengths. However, in terms of pure defense, the thick crystal wall created by the 'Liuli Fancheng' is probably the most outstanding! If this is used as a shield, what words can be used as a corresponding spear to break it?"

"Glass Brahma City?" Xia Mi lowered her head in deep thought, as if recalling past experiences: "This kind of multiphase crystal is indeed difficult to deal with. To some extent, it is even more rogue than the aura field you taught me. It has properties similar to discrete time crystals."

"It can spontaneously move periodically and continuously, that is, it has the characteristic of time translation symmetry breaking, and it can cycle between states forever without consuming energy. Its own properties will also change over time, and it can achieve rapid and stable cyclic transformation between gas, liquid, solid and plasma states."

"During the four-state cyclic transformation process, through the action of the internal static magnetic field and alternating electric field, the glass crystal will undergo spin flipping, and this not only occurs on a single crystal particle, but can also propagate throughout the entire crystal structure, forming a wave or ripple effect, thereby quickly converting various external aggressive energies into dispersed electric currents."

"All of the above transformations are achieved through highly ordered microstructural changes within the crystal. They can be carried out simultaneously throughout the entire crystal structure, ensuring efficient energy transfer and transformation. The more violent the attack, the stronger its defense will be next."

Xia Mi said mysteriously, "So if we want to break through the barrier of this colored glass crystal using only conventional means, it is almost impossible to do it unless someone can output a huge amount of energy in an instant that is enough to burst the entire crystal."

"Why are you talking about so many other things? Why are you using so many new terms?" Zhao Qing asked, "Do you think I just talked about too many scientific theories? Can high-frequency shock and vibration, electromagnetic pulse interference, or ultra-low temperature environment, reverse absorption of the opponent's energy, be effective?"

"It should have some effect, but the cost is still too high. It's not worth it and is only suitable for bullying the weak." Xia Mi smiled slightly: "However, I have a wonderful restraining method that can perfectly restrain the defense of Liuli Fancheng in most cases."

"What method is it?" Zhao Qing was indeed a little confused this time: "Don't keep me in suspense!"

……

Increased to 4.8k
I can't finish the code in time, I'll update 7k later
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Water point setting
The four fundamental forces are not perfect. The Higgs mechanism and the Pauli exclusion principle (degenerate state pressure) have little to do with the four forces and do not belong to any of the fundamental forces.