3 ms·

Although the article is certainly worth reading, the title suggests that the alchemy has actually been achieved (in the author's broad sense), while the post de

Although the article is certainly worth reading, the title suggests that the alchemy has actually been achieved (in the author's broad sense), while the post deals with a theoretical possibility.

mordechai9000 6y ago
Not theoretical, just temporary. And they are not truly achieving the alchemists' dream of transmutation, just changing the behavior of the material. It sounds like practical applications are still more or less theoretical, though.
- danenania 6y ago
  "And they are not truly achieving the alchemists' dream of transmutation, just changing the behavior of the material." Is there really a difference? Isn't the name we give a material essentially just a shorthand for describing a pattern of behavior that its constituent particles are (mostly) adhering to?
  - mrkstu 6y ago
    The difference being if you stop the pulses the changed behavior would also stop. Transmutation would be permanent.
    - jjoonathan 6y ago
      Speaking of which, did Seaborg collect any of the gold atoms he transmuted? Obviously it wouldn't be enough to see, but I imagine that some university museum has a little vial with a chunk of detector in it with a little plate explaining that there are a few million transmuted gold atoms stuck to its surface, or something.
andrewprock 6y ago
I tend to associate alchemy with elemental transformation, e.g. lead into gold, fission, or fusion. This article does not describe that level of transformation. Rather it's about making "lead behave like gold" as a material, but not as a lustrous metal of ravenous hording.
dang 6y ago
Ok, we've de-alchemized the title and put the subtitle up there instead (shortened to fit HN's 80 char limit).
phujck 6y ago
Yes, as always with these things there has been a bit of journalistic licence taken. There will always be a gap between what has been rigorously demonstrated, and the potential future you want to sell! At the moment we're up to the stage of having a theoretical framework for how to manipulate a given property through a driving field, along with some computational demonstrations that the method works. The major point is that the equations one derives from this method are quite broadly applicable, and generally speaking if you can show they work in silico, then a real-world implementation shouldn't be too far behind.
ButWhatFor 6y ago
Thank you for saving the clicks! Got excited there for a moment tbh!

Although the article is certainly worth reading, the title suggests that the alchemy has actually been achieved (in the author's broad sense), while the post deals with a theoretical possibility.

mordechai9000 6y ago

Not theoretical, just temporary. And they are not truly achieving the alchemists' dream of transmutation, just changing the behavior of the material. It sounds like practical applications are still more or less theoretical, though.

danenania 6y ago
"And they are not truly achieving the alchemists' dream of transmutation, just changing the behavior of the material." Is there really a difference? Isn't the name we give a material essentially just a shorthand for describing a pattern of behavior that its constituent particles are (mostly) adhering to?
- mrkstu 6y ago
  The difference being if you stop the pulses the changed behavior would also stop. Transmutation would be permanent.
  - jjoonathan 6y ago
    Speaking of which, did Seaborg collect any of the gold atoms he transmuted? Obviously it wouldn't be enough to see, but I imagine that some university museum has a little vial with a chunk of detector in it with a little plate explaining that there are a few million transmuted gold atoms stuck to its surface, or something.

andrewprock 6y ago

I tend to associate alchemy with elemental transformation, e.g. lead into gold, fission, or fusion. This article does not describe that level of transformation. Rather it's about making "lead behave like gold" as a material, but not as a lustrous metal of ravenous hording.

dang 6y ago

Ok, we've de-alchemized the title and put the subtitle up there instead (shortened to fit HN's 80 char limit).

phujck 6y ago

Yes, as always with these things there has been a bit of journalistic licence taken. There will always be a gap between what has been rigorously demonstrated, and the potential future you want to sell! At the moment we're up to the stage of having a theoretical framework for how to manipulate a given property through a driving field, along with some computational demonstrations that the method works. The major point is that the equations one derives from this method are quite broadly applicable, and generally speaking if you can show they work in silico, then a real-world implementation shouldn't be too far behind.

ButWhatFor 6y ago

Thank you for saving the clicks! Got excited there for a moment tbh!