The Journal of Maltese Science

[CommodoreShawn]

The Journal of Maltese Science
10.09.828

Report on the Properties of Metallic Artifacts

J. Cortés, E. Pérez and A. Cruz

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In a recent expedition to Planet Knossos, myself and several other HS> ships retrieved additional artifacts from the Nomad installation. For this expedition we looked specifically for artifacts containing metallic substances. We acquired several transports full of artifacts with the diligent work of Alberto Cruz in the Molino. This was enough to not only study, but to sell the remainder for a significant profit at Fontana Freeport.

Unlike the crystalline artifacts examined previously, we only identified a single type of metallic substance. This substance is a complex alloy of exotic metal isotopes, incorporated in a non-metallic crystalline lattice. Synthesizing this material is beyond our current understanding of materials science, but we are able to readily harvest and analyze it from the installation over Knossos.

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Physical Properties

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We have tentatively called the substance Nanocrystal Alloy. It has an exceptionally low density, with an impressive compressive strength of 700 GPa. We measured a tensile strength of 390 GPa before our testing apparatus broke.

The samples exhibited no change in physical properties when cooled down to 0.1 K. Nor when heated to 4200K. Thermal expansion and contraction only had a minor dimensional effect, with a 4% change between 0.1K and 4,200 K. Above 4,200 K, however, the sample began to deteriorate. The metallic alloy began to melt, and at 5,000 K the crystal lattice appeared to burn, despite the lack of any oxidizer in the test chamber.

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Electromagnetic Properties

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Nanocrystal Alloy is a superconductor up to the failure point of 4,200 K. We did, however, notice something very odd. On the first test we passed 4 A through the sample as we raised the temperature of the sample to 4,500 K. Unlike previous tests, the sample did not deteriorate. With further testing we developed a link between electrical current passing through the sample and an increase in failure point. We believe that this also corresponds with an increase in tensile and compressive strength, but we don’t have robust enough equipment to verify that at the moment.

Along with an increase in thermal resistance, we noticed an increase in the reflectivity of the sample. Even though the sample was not polished, it visibly became more reflective as we passed a current through it. We set up an additional experiment to evaluate this property.

As you can see, Nanocrystal Alloy exhibits markedly different behavior when exposed to light at the 0.01 nm wavelength. This is similar to the behavior we’ve previously noted from crystalline artifacts, and as before we do not believe this to be a coincidence. We believe that this was deliberately engineered by the Daam K’Vosh.

These properties appeared to hold for both alternating and direct current. An additional property was discovered under alternating current, however. We exposed a sample previously damaged by compressive testing to high amperage, high frequency alternating current. For the first three seconds of the test the damaged sample did not exhibit superconducting properties, but nor did it show an increase in temperature as would be expected. Non-baryonic holographic examination of the sample after the test showed that all previous damage had been completely repaired.

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Conclusions and Further Research

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We believe that Nanocrystal Alloy has potential as a construction material in high energy applications. Although we cannot synthesize it, Dr Pérez believes that a combination of cold forging and electrically induced regeneration will allow us to form it as needed.

For our next project we will need additional support, as we would like to explore the properties of the nomad vessels themselves. This is beyond the science division, as the nomad remains will have to be sourced directly from the nomads themselves. We only ask that the samples are more or less intact, but we understand the difficulties in decommissioning hostile vessels.

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HS>Reconquista	HS>El_Cid	HS>Exploradora	WV-Conqueror
Eduardo Montalban	Isabel Montalban	Juan Cortés	Shawn Michaels