Dr. Ross Howie's BBC interview

Glimpse of metallic hydrogen

Scientists think they are closer to discovering a metallic state of hydrogen 80 years after it was first predicted to be possible. Dr. Ross Howie from HPSTAR in Shanghai explains how he and his colleges from Edinburgh University exerted the equivalent pressure found at the centre of the Earth on a tiny amount of hydrogen to create a mixed-state form of hydrogen. Outside of the lab, these exotic metals are thought to exist deep in gas giant planets – where those incredibly high pressures also exist. The Juno mission is due to arrive at Jupiter later this year, and some scientists are predicting it will reveal a metallic hydrogen centre.