Hubium

Hubium is a high-energy substance discovered by Dr. Jan Smith (she/her) in 2034 while researching novel ways to store and release energy. It has been shown to absorb energy from electromagnetic radiation at about 93% efficiency (when charging at 1.5 kW, with efficiency increasing slightly at higher charging rates), and a single superparticle has been shown to absorb and expel up to 3.2 x 10^6 J (about 20 yotta-electonvolts or YeV)* under stable conditions. This quantity is known as the Hubium Energy Safety Threshold, or HEST value for short. Hubium particles have been shown to store even more energy than this under certain conditions (known as Super-charged Hubium, or ScH), but quickly become dangerous and unstable.

*Notably, Hubium is not known to have electrons.

Appearance

At room temperature and pressure, Hubium is a colorless fluid without scent. Due to its lack of electromagnetic field, it does not exhibit any surface tension and doesn't stick to surfaces easily, but does feel incredibly viscous. It is often combined with yellow or pink dye for identification purposes. It is important to note, however, that it can easily seperate from dye.

Structure

The structure of Hubium is unlike any element or particle previously discovered by humanity. Single superparticles are estimated to be 5.5 angstroms in width, and (unlike atoms) do not naturally emit electromagnetic fields on their own. They're also inexplicably light for their size, weighing only 20.3 u (3.3 x 10^-3 g). In liquid form, it has an extremely high density of 35 g/cm3. With the exception of ScH (which is simply assumed to be above the HEST value), there is currently no known way to measure the energy stored in Hubium superparticles without causing the superparticle to emit all of its energy. This makes them incredibly dangerous to charge to high energies in large batches as some superparticles can reach HEST before the rest are charged at all. That's why global regulations prohibit charging Hubium above 15% of the HEST value (or 25% under extra safety measures).

It's like trying to inflate a balloon without knowing how much air is in it, but you could die if it pops.

Trivia

Dr. Smith decided on Hubium as a name for the substance because she knew how dangerous the substance was and so decided to name it after the term hubris (a word meaning dangerous overconfidence) as a built-in warning to anyone who would want to abuse its power.

Alternate Forms

Hubium can exist in its base state (as described above), as well as Super-charged Hubium (ScH), or Depleted Hubium (dH) . It transitions between these states whenever charged and discharged above the HEST value respectively. Hubium is considered most dangerous in ScH form, and relatively safe in depleted form when at rest.