Pause Random Superconductor Experiments: An Open Letter

We call on all labs and kitchens to immediately pause for at least 6 months the making of conductors with lower resistance than copper.

Signatures

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Room temperature atmospheric pressure superconductors with unprecedented efficiency can pose astonishing challenges to the world of physics and technology, as highlighted by extensive research and acknowledged by top scientific institutions and Russian anime cat girls. As stated in the widely-endorsed Ohm's Law Conduction Principles, room temperature superconductors could usher in a revolution in the realm of electricity and should be planned for and managed with appropriate caution and resources. Regrettably, this level of planning and management is falling short, even though recent weeks have witnessed scientific kitchens engaged in a reckless competition to develop and implement ever more potent superconducting materials that no one – not even the crypto bros turned AI bros turned superconductor bros themselves – can fully comprehend, predict, or reliably control and hype.

Contemporary superconducting materials are now achieving efficiencies comparable to imaginary materials, and we must ponder: Should we allow these materials to inundate our power grids with unparalleled energy flows? Should we superconduct away conventional electrical systems, including the reliable ones? Should we fabricate conductors that might eventually outnumber, outperform, render obsolete, and replace copper? Should we gamble with the stability of our electrical infrastructure? Such decisions must not be left solely to unelected scientists. Advanced superconductors should only be developed once we are absolutely certain that their effects will be beneficial and their risks will be manageable. This certainty must be well-grounded and should grow in proportion to the potential impact of a material, not the temperature of the room it’s in.

A recent announcement from leading physicists concerning superconducting materials states that "At a certain juncture, it might be crucial to obtain impartial assessments before embarking on the development of future materials, and for the most ambitious projects to agree upon restricting the rate of advancement in material creation." We concur. That juncture is upon us.

Consequently, we urge all scientific labs and random kitchens to immediately halt, for a minimum of 6 months, the experimentation with superconducting materials more advanced than those currently in use. This halt should be publicized and verifiable, involving all relevant stakeholders. If such a pause cannot be promptly established, regulatory bodies should intervene and declare a suspension.

Scientific labs and independent experts should use this hiatus to collaboratively devise and implement a set of shared safety protocols for cutting-edge superconductor design and experimentation, subject to thorough audits and oversight by impartial external specialists. These protocols should ensure that materials adhering to them are secure beyond any reasonable doubt. This doesn't signify a cessation of all superconductor research, but rather a step back from the hazardous race towards ever-more unpredictable high-capacity materials with emergent properties.

Superconductor research and development should pivot towards enhancing the precision, safety, interpretability, transparency, resilience, alignment, reliability, and steadfastness of current state-of-the-art materials.

Simultaneously, superconductor developers must collaborate with policymakers to expedite the establishment of robust superconductor governance systems. These systems should, at the very least, encompass: novel and adept regulatory bodies dedicated to superconductors; supervision and monitoring of highly efficient superconducting materials and extensive large kitchens; origin tracking and marking mechanisms to differentiate natural from synthetic and to trace material leaks; a robust system for conducting audits and granting certifications; accountability for damages caused by superconductor-related issues; substantial public funding for technical research on superconductor safety; and well-equipped institutions to handle the considerable economic and societal disruptions (especially in the energy sector) that superconductors might trigger.

Humanity can look forward to a promising future with superconductors. Having excelled in creating groundbreaking superconducting materials, we can now embrace a "Superconducting Summer" in which we reap the benefits, engineer these materials for the collective good, and provide society an opportunity to adjust. Society has previously exercised caution with other technologies bearing potentially dire consequences. We can do the same here. Let's bask in a prolonged Superconducting Summer rather than recklessly rushing into an unprepared fall.

Signatories

Dr. Eustace Thermomagnus, Director of Cryogenic Metals Research and Quantum Resonance Studies

Sir Percival Ferroflux, Magnet Magnate

Professor Isadora Fluxington, Chairperson of Advanced Copper Oxide Superconductivity Consortium

Octavia Coppertino, Copper Yarn Spinner

Baron Reginald Cryogenius, Executive Director of Superconducting Infrastructure and Cryoplumbing Development

Lady Seraphina Thermodynix, Owner of YBCO Industrial Supplies

Lord Archibald Ampertorque, Director of High-Current Copper Braid Design and Kinetic Superconductance Studies

Cornelius Cryomesh, Liquid Nitrogen Wholesaler

Dr. Magnolia Cryovolt, Principal Cryophysicist at the Institute for Cryogenic Voltage Flux Densities

Countess Valentina Quenchfield, Inheritor Emerald and Copper Mines Company