Volume 4 PROGRESS IN PHYSICS October, 2013
SPECIAL REPORT
Forty Lines of Evidence for Condensed Matter — The Sun on Tria
l:
Liquid Metallic Hydrogen as a Solar Building Block
Pierre-Marie Robitaille
Department of Radiology, The Ohio State University, 395 W. 1
2th Ave, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA.
robitaille.1@osu.edu
Our Sun has confronted humanity with overwhelming evidence
that it is comprised of
condensed matter. Dismissing this reality, the standard so
lar models continue to be an-
chored on the gaseous plasma. In large measure, the enduranc
e of these theories can be
attributed to 1) the mathematical elegance of the equations
for the gaseous state, 2) the
apparent success of the mass-luminosity relationship, and
3) the long-lasting influence
of leading proponents of these models. Unfortunately, no di
rect physical finding sup-
ports the notion that the solar body is gaseous. Without exce
ption, all observations are
most easily explained by recognizing that the Sun is primari
ly comprised of condensed
matter. However, when a physical characteristic points to c
ondensed matter,
a postori
arguments are invoked to account for the behavior using the g
aseous state. In isolation,
many of these treatments appear plausible. As a result, the g
aseous models continue to
be accepted. There seems to be an overarching belief in solar
science that the problems
with the gaseous models are few and inconsequential. In real
ity, they are numerous and,
while often subtle, they are sometimes daunting. The gaseou
s equations of state have
introduced far more dilemmas than they have solved. Many of t
he conclusions derived
from these approaches are likely to have led solar physics do
wn unproductive avenues,
as deductions have been accepted which bear little or no rela
tionship to the actual nature
of the Sun. It could be argued that, for more than 100 years, th
e gaseous models have
prevented mankind from making real progress relative to und
erstanding the Sun and the
universe. Hence, the Sun is now placed on trial. Forty lines o
f evidence will be pre-
sented that the solar body is comprised of, and surrounded by
, condensed matter. These
‘proofs’ can be divided into seven broad categories: 1) Plan
ckian, 2) spectroscopic,
3) structural, 4) dynamic, 5) helioseismic, 6) elemental, a
nd 7) earthly. Collectively,
these lines of evidence provide a systematic challenge to th
e gaseous models of the Sun
and expose the many hurdles faced by modern approaches. Obse
rvational astronomy
and laboratory physics have remained unable to properly jus
tify claims that the solar
body must be gaseous. At the same time, clear signs of condens
ed matter interspersed
with gaseous plasma in the chromosphere and corona have been
regrettably dismissed.
As such, it is hoped that this exposition will serve as an invi
tation to consider condensed
matter, especially metallic hydrogen, when pondering the p
hase of the Sun.
The Sun is a world so di
ff
erent from our own . . .
However
[relative to understanding its structure],
one must not lose heart; over the past few years sci-
ence has made a lot of progress, and those who come
after us will not fail to make even more.
Father Angelo Secchi, S.J., 1875 [1, p. 300, V. I]
∗
1 Introduction
A long time ago, men like Gustav Kirchho
ff
, Johann Z ̈ollner,
William Thomson (Lord Kelvin), and James Jeans viewed
the photosphere (or the solar body) as existing in the liquid
state [2, 3]. Despite their stature, scientists, since the d
ays of
Herbert Spencer and Angelo Secchi, slowly drifted towards...
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