Gold samples heated to 19,000K without losing their crystalline structure

Gold crystal structure

Source: © Russell Knightley/Science Photo Library

Ultrafast lasers used to superheat gold films faster than they can melt

Solid gold samples have been superheated to more than 14 times the material’s melting point without losing their crystalline structure. The researchers behind the work say that the experiments suggest that, as long as a material is heated fast enough, there may potentially be no limit to how high a solid sample can be superheated before it loses its structure.