From top student in college to scientific research powerhouse

Chapter 98 Perfect Performance! High-Temperature Superconductivity? That's a complete tangent, and has nothing to do with high-temperature superconductivity!
Cui Ji and Peng Jinquan pulled Zhang Minghao aside and began talking about An Boju's status and influence.

Zhang Minghao, however, didn't care at all.

He silenced them both with a single sentence: "My conflict with Yang Xuewen is common knowledge. Besides, how old am I?"

Cui Ji and Peng Jinquan exchanged a glance.

Upon closer examination, it becomes clear that Zhang Minghao is truly unafraid of offending any academic bigwigs.

Ordinary scholars encounter the problem of applying for projects when conducting research and development, especially when working in the same field, where project review is a major issue.

For someone at their level of professional title, the process of being promoted to academician requires a vote by academicians in the Department of Mathematics and Physics.

Only by securing enough votes can one stand out from the crowd of candidates and be elected as an academician.

Both are big problems.

Zhang Minghao, on the other hand, did not have this problem. In fact, Zhu Bingkun's experimental team was not afraid at all. Their project had already been blocked once, so they applied for a provincial science foundation project in Dongchuan Province instead.

Most importantly, their team also achieved significant results, prompting the Ministry of Science and Technology to convene a meeting to request the National Natural Science Foundation of China to allocate an additional ten million yuan in funding.

With a different team, the situation would be completely different.

My National Natural Science Foundation of China project is blocked, and I can't get key support from the province. At most, I can only apply for small project support. I will definitely encounter insufficient funding for subsequent research and development. Without sufficient funding, I can't do experiments, and I can't achieve any results.

In the end, it ended in a dismal failure, and a project that yields no results has a significant impact on the development of individuals and teams.

Therefore, as long as you have the ability, you have nothing to fear in traveling the world.

Another reason is that they are young.

Zhang Minghao is really too young; he's not even 24 years old yet.

At his age, most scholars are still doctoral students, or even have not graduated with a master's degree. How could he be afraid of an old academician?
You could die from just staying up all night...

Zhang Minghao didn't care about all that; he hadn't thought about so many issues.

The most important thing in life is to be in a good mood.

He checked in at the front desk, and when he came back, he pulled Peng Jinquan aside to talk about the theoretical mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity.

I'm here in the capital to attend a meeting of the Ministry of Science and Technology, but I can also take this opportunity to exchange academic ideas. Peng Jinquan is a top scholar in the field of superconductivity in condensed matter physics, and opportunities to exchange ideas with such scholars are rare.

Zhang Minghao talked with Peng Jinquan for a while, and then, seeing the time, he simply took him to the hotel restaurant and ordered several dishes to treat him to a meal.

Eating is about talking while you eat.

Peng Jinquan was getting a little annoyed by Zhang Minghao's questions, but faced with a curious gaze, especially since the other party had made significant achievements in scientific research, he felt he couldn't refuse at all and could only keep talking and talking.

The meal lasted for more than an hour. Peng Jinquan finally said helplessly, "How about this, after the meeting tomorrow, you can visit our research institute, and I will explain the research on high-temperature superconductivity in more detail."

"that would be great!"

Zhang Minghao agreed with a big smile.

Seeing that Zhang Minghao was no longer pressing the issue, Peng Jinquan was finally able to end the dinner and return to his hotel room for a while to have some peace and quiet.

He thought to himself, no wonder Zhang Minghao was able to develop such significant results. He just kept asking questions and asking questions, and there was never a way to finish explaining.

The other party also has an exceptionally strong comprehension ability.

In just over two hours, he talked about a lot of knowledge in his professional field, most of which was very in-depth, and he even talked about some unpublished and speculative content.

If he doesn't stop, he feels like all the knowledge in his brain has been emptied out.

……

The Ministry of Science and Technology's meeting was scheduled for 9:00 AM.

Zhang Minghao, Zhu Bingkun, and their group arrived at the Ministry of Science and Technology around 8:00 AM.

They first went to a small hall on one side of the main building to queue up and get their work badges, and then headed straight for the main venue.

Of the five people in the group, Xue Kun, Chen Shuai, and Han Xiaoxu were all unfamiliar faces; they didn't know anyone at this kind of event.

Zhu Bingkun fared somewhat better; as soon as he stepped out of the small hall, he exchanged pleasantries with a professor, who seemed to have met him while working on research in the field of tinene.

Zhang Minghao was the only familiar face; he was recognized by many people.

This is mainly because they are young.

People they pass on the street will turn around and say a few words, "Isn't that Zhang Minghao?"

"It must be him. Could there be anyone else this young at this event?"

"It really is true. I saw him on the news. He looks even younger than he appears on the news. The youngest PhD under my supervision is older than him..."

The group entered the venue and found their seats according to their seat numbers.

This was the first time they had attended such an important meeting, and even their first time at the Ministry of Science and Technology. They were all very cautious in their behavior, trying their best not to make any mistakes, for fear of being looked down upon.

Zhu Bingkun, Xue Kun, and Chen Shuai all thought so.

Because they cared so much, their movements felt strange, and even their walking posture was somewhat different from usual.

Han Xiaoxu is relatively okay; he's already this old, and he doesn't care about many things anymore.

Zhang Minghao's performance was even more natural.

After entering the main hall, he looked around, but found that the empty hall wasn't very interesting. He was observing the situation in the hall and the people who had come, while the people behind him were looking at him.

Their seats were way too far forward, right on the far left of the first row.

The first row is reserved for leaders and academicians, with some academicians being seated in the second row.

At such an important conference, the seating arrangement is very particular. The middle seat in the first row is definitely the best seat, while the left side of the first row is often reserved for key figures in the conference. The seating arrangement also highlights the importance that the Ministry of Science and Technology attaches to the group from the Electromagnetic Laboratory.

Before long, the venue was already quite crowded.

The leadership team from the Ministry of Science and Technology also arrived. After entering the venue, Teacher Xu looked around and headed straight for the left side of the first row.

Zhang Minghao and his group stood up immediately.

Teacher Xu shook hands with everyone from left to right, and the last person he shook hands with was Zhang Minghao. He patted Zhang Minghao on the shoulder and asked with gentle eyes, "We meet again."

"The last time I went to Jiangzhou was because your team had achieved great results. And now you've achieved great results again so quickly. That's amazing, truly amazing."

"Science has gained another major research direction!"

Teacher Xu's words felt like a gentle breeze.

Zhang Minghao exchanged a few modest pleasantries.

Teacher Xu checked the time and walked directly to the podium, and the hall immediately fell silent.

The meeting began with a speech by Professor Xu, who explained the importance of scientific research and affirmed the contributions of science and technology workers to national development.

The next one is Liu Ming.

When Liu Ming took the stage, he spoke more practically. He briefly explained the significant discovery of the Zhang phenomenon, and then described the meeting's proceedings and purpose.

Liu Ming's speech lasted about ten minutes, and it was noticed that Zhu Bingkun, Xue Kun, and others were visibly nervous as it was nearing its end.

The next one is Zhang Minghao.

But what's meant to happen will happen. After Liu Ming finished speaking, the host announced, "Next, please welcome Zhang Minghao, representative of the Jiangzhou University team, to present his research report on the Zhang phenomenon..."

It's called a report, but in reality, it's just about the Zhang phenomenon.

Zhang Minghao also felt a little nervous.

He stood up and looked around the entire venue, feeling as if everyone was staring at him.

Finally, she took a deep breath, picked up her manuscript, and calmly walked towards the podium.

As he approached the podium, he glanced to the side and flashed the standard smile he'd been practicing in front of a mirror.

Standing on the podium, I felt much calmer.

Zhang Minghao maintained his standard smile and began by introducing himself: "Respected leaders, experts, and scholars, hello everyone. My name is Zhang Minghao, and I come from Jiangzhou University."

"Next, I will talk about the Zhang phenomenon..."

After a brief introduction, he immediately got to the point: "The Zhang phenomenon is a special phenomenon that we discovered when studying nickel/alumina cermet materials."

"Initially it was called 'electromagnetic interference fluidity' because it could drive airflow. Now there have been new developments. We have discovered that this material can create special force fields, which I call 'mysterious force fields'..."

"This force field has two characteristics: one is interference fluidity, which means it acts as a force, and the other is a continuous but not constant electric field characteristic."

After completing his introduction, Zhang Minghao was fully engaged. A large image appeared on the screen behind him, a graphical description of the field force.

He turned halfway around and continued, “Let’s look at this mysterious field force. It can charge a conductor and increase the current, but at the same time it weakens the underlying structure of the conductor. So we can consider that fluidity and electric field properties are due to the shared energy of the field force.”

"At the same time, it can be inferred that the field force is transmitted in the form of a wave, and the conductor material plays a significant role in hindering the advance of the field force wave."

Everyone in the hall listened very attentively.

Zhang Minghao talks about macro-level content, that is, things that can be seen, without complex theories, logic, or data.

Even the leaders in the front row, who don't do scientific research, can hear it clearly.

Because they could understand it, they felt even more strongly that the Zhang phenomenon should be taken seriously.

This is a macroscopic force field that is transmitted in a wave-like manner, and it also has the characteristics of an electric field, a force field, and airflow that affect the range of the force field.

In addition, all experiments were conducted at room temperature.

Such research and development has broad prospects, and the prospects for science and technology are also very broad.

Because it was just a simple overview, Zhang Minghao finished explaining everything in less than twenty minutes.

Finally, it's time to wrap up the explanation.

He sat back down in the center of the podium and addressed the audience, saying, "Based on existing experimental findings, the next step is to simultaneously advance research from both experimental and mechanistic perspectives..."

The project is now complete.

The hall erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Zhang Minghao also stepped off the stage amidst applause and returned to his seat on the left side of the first row.

Zhu Bingkun, Xue Kun, Chen Shuai, and even Han Xiaoxu almost simultaneously gave him a thumbs up, "That's really good, perfect!"

"He was calm and composed on stage and spoke very easily. I listened to him from beginning to end, and it seemed like he didn't say a single word wrong."

"very impressive!"

"From now on, you should do these kinds of things. The capable should do more!"

Others in the venue also gave him high praise, with some whispering in the back row, "Zhang Minghao is really something, he handles such a big scene so easily."

"If it were me, I would definitely be nervous too!"

"He described the phenomenon just like he was reading from a prepared speech. He spoke very clearly, as if he hadn't made a single mistake."

"What an amazing young man!"

……

Zhang Minghao was indeed a star at the event.

After the morning meeting ended, Teacher Xu took Zhang Minghao to lunch. The people at the table were all influential figures.

It includes five academicians and two leaders, among whom is An Boju.

The speakers present were all academicians, and they were discussing follow-up research on the Zhang phenomenon.

Three of the academicians are experts in the field of high-temperature superconductivity, and they mainly discussed the theoretical mechanism of the Zhang phenomenon.

Zhang Minghao simply joined in the meal; he spoke very little and mostly listened.

Academician Chen Yaonan of the Key Laboratory of Superconductivity suddenly looked at Zhang Minghao and asked with a smile, "Zhang Minghao, you discovered the Zhang phenomenon, and so far, all the research and development progress has been completed by your team."

“Your team has conducted the most in-depth research in this area; we are all laymen.”

"To borrow a phrase from the internet, what's it like?"

Chen Yaonan looked around, and finally laughed, "Where did these experts come from? Only you guys are experts!"

The others immediately burst out laughing.

After Zhang Minghao's interview remarks were leaked, they have become a popular internet meme.

Zhang Minghao just smiled after hearing this.

Chen Yaonan continued, "We've been talking here for so long, and you've just been listening. Are you laughing at us? Tell me, what are your thoughts on the next steps in your theoretical mechanism research?"

Teacher Xu chimed in, "Zhang Minghao, share your thoughts too."

"Academician Chen was joking, but he was also telling the truth. You are the experts in this field."

Everyone else looked over.

Zhang Minghao hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Our latest experimental research mainly focuses on the issue of single-use of materials."

"But there has been no progress in the experiments. No difference can be detected between the materials that have been tested and those that have not."

He shook his head as he spoke, and continued, "I do have some ideas regarding the theoretical mechanisms."

"I have been studying the theoretical mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity. I have discovered that the underlying mechanism of the mysterious force field created by the Zhang phenomenon is related to the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity."

"Moreover, the connection between the two may be very close."

Zhang Minghao gave a brief explanation.

Several academicians listened and nodded, seemingly agreeing with Zhang Minghao's idea.

But after Zhang Minghao finished speaking, no one continued the conversation on the topic, clearly indicating that they all disagreed.

Or, it's simply unimaginable what theoretical mechanism could be related between high-temperature superconductivity and the Zhang phenomenon.

……

The afternoon meeting will be a vote.

The next step is the academician conference and internal meetings of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

These things had nothing to do with the group from the electromagnetic laboratory.

They attended the first meeting, and were allowed to leave after it ended.

Their plane tickets are for tomorrow morning, so they might as well take a trip around the surrounding area and make the trip to the capital worthwhile.

Meanwhile, Zhang Minghao's words spread throughout the meeting room.

During the first meeting in the afternoon, people were whispering among themselves, "Have you heard?"

"Zhang Minghao said that the Zhang phenomenon is related to the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity, and that the connection is very close."

"What kind of logic is this? These are two completely different phenomena."

"There is indeed no correlation in terms of performance, and the underlying mechanism... is also difficult to understand."

"If you ask me, Zhang Minghao is indeed a genius, but it depends on the field. He is a genius in the Zhang phenomenon, experimental research, and even the research on the edge of metamaterials, but he may be an outsider in condensed matter physics!"

"That makes sense; it's impossible to be a genius in every aspect..."

After the afternoon meeting, An Boju and Yang Xuewen walked together and talked about this matter.

An Boju was there and heard Zhang Minghao say it with his own ears. He commented, "He was just expressing an idea, nothing more."

"They're spreading it everywhere, as if Zhang Minghao did this research..."

He shook his head as he spoke.

Yang Xuewen chuckled and said, "The main problem is that it's too outrageous."

"The Zhang phenomenon and high-temperature superconductivity? If there is a connection between the underlying mechanisms of the two, wouldn't that mean that high-temperature superconducting materials could also produce the Zhang phenomenon?"

"We've been doing so much research on high-temperature superconductivity for over forty years, how come we haven't discovered it?"

Amber smiled and shook his head; he shared the same view.

Not only An Boju and Yang Xuewen, but any scholar in the field of high-temperature superconductivity would make the same judgment.

High-temperature superconductivity and the Zhang phenomenon are clearly two completely different physical phenomena, and even their external manifestations conflict.

The Zhang phenomenon is a completely new physical phenomenon, which is a special state of nickel/alumina cermet.

If we're talking about correlation, we can only think of special issues such as 'negative permittivity' and ionic lattices within composite ceramic materials.

High-temperature superconductivity?

Even if you go on and on about other things, it's impossible to connect it to the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity!
(End of this chapter)