Meaning of LK-99 | Babel Free

Definitions

A gray–black polycrystalline compound, identified as a copper-doped lead‒oxyapatite, once claimed to be a superconductor at room temperature.

uncountable

Examples

“The prospects of LK-99, the controversial substance that its discoverers claim⟳ is a room temperature superconductor, living up its hype are dimming. In recent days, many scientists have⟳ synthesized the substance and published studies showing that it does not have⟳ superconductive properties, at least in the form⟳ that they tested it. However, two papers published to pre-print scientific repository Arxiv posit that LK-99 could, maybe, prove⟳ to be a superconductor if only some doping were applied. Doping LK-99 is exactly what it sounds like⟳: you take⟳ something that wasn't in the original recipe (in this case, for lead-apatite) and you put⟳ it inside the system to improve⟳ its performance. In this case, the new results, penned by Liang Si et al and Korotin et al, find⟳ reason⟳ to believe⟳ that doping LK-99 by inserting extraneous atoms (which weren't supposed to exist⟳ in the original system) might result⟳ in the claimed superconductivity. We say⟳ "might" because they haven't actually created and doped the substance. Although initial analysis from other teams found that LK-99 already had the 'Fermi' flat bands necessary for electrons to cross unimpeded and frictionlessly (as they'd need⟳ for the zero resistance claim⟳ to be true), others have⟳ theorized that it needs some help⟳ getting there: there's still work⟳ to do to even understand⟳ LK-99. Achieving the exactly-precise configuration of particles and quantum particles (quanta) is hard.”

CEFR level