Oxford university scientists have created a new state of matter that they call transparent aluminum. Ordinary aluminum was bombarded with intense radiation from the world’s most powerful soft X-ray laser. Transparent aluminum was featured in the movie Star Trek IV, where it was used to makes tanks to hold whales, but the real material is too exotic. Unfortunately, transpatent aluminum only stays that way for an estimated 40 femtoseconds and only in the ultra-violet spectrum (which bees see but people don't). However, the materials could have applications in nuclear fusion and in understanding planetary science.
Text: http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2009/090727_2.html
