Chapter 72: Niobium-Titanium Alloy Superconductor

After waiting about a minute, a tall, thin youth ran down and waved at Xu Qingzhou.

The youth had dark circles under his eyes and a sallow complexion; from Xu Qingzhou’s experience, only someone who had pulled several all-nighters would look this drained.

Once he confirmed Xu Qingzhou was the person he was supposed to guide, the youth introduced himself: “Junior brother, I’m Wang Wei. If you don’t mind, call me Senior Brother Wang.”

“Senior Brother Wang,” Xu Qingzhou said with a smile.

“Come with me—our professor is waiting upstairs,” Wang Wei led Xu Qingzhou into the research facility. “Junior brother, you’re a senior, right? Aren’t you preparing your thesis proposal this semester?”

“Senior Brother, I’m a freshman,” Xu Qingzhou explained.

Wang Wei stumbled, nearly tripping, and blurted out: “You’re a freshman?!”

“You flatter me,” Xu Qingzhou shook his head with a smile.

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“Junior Brother Gong, I checked your data on the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) from yesterday—it seems off. Could you recalculate it?”

He was genuinely interested in this; he had a rough idea his work would involve mathematical tools like Maxwell’s equations and heat conduction equations.

Zhao Shengwen pointed to the window-side desk: “Your workstation has already been cleared for you.”

“This field has long been monopolized by foreign countries; our Xia Nation pays a terrifying cost every year. Although domestic companies like Lianying and Aotai are catching up, the gap remains significant.”

Xu Qingzhou didn’t find it strange—he could tell this senior sister was the type who cared only about experiments and loved to bury herself in work.

Even the usually cold Hong Yuyu looked up at Xu Qingzhou, her eyes surprised.

Xu Qingzhou nodded.

Wang Wei didn’t press it and said to Xu Qingzhou: “See you tomorrow.” After Wang Wei left, Zhao Shengwen told Gong Yunfei and Hong Yuyu to get back to work, then explained the project details to Xu Qingzhou.

Wang Wei was stunned—were students today really this impressive? A freshman could join a professor’s project? Following Wang Wei into the research building, Xu Qingzhou soon met Zhao Risheng, who was directing operations before an instrument, looking energetic and brisk—completely unlike the steady old man he remembered.

“By the way, Xiao Xu, you’re just a freshman—take good care of him,” Zhao Shengwen instructed.

At that moment, Zhao Shengwen’s phone rang. After answering it, he told Hong Yuyu, who had just finished her experiment and entered: “Xiao Hong, I need to go to the Materials Research Institute. I’m leaving Xiao Xu in your hands—give him the materials, let him get familiar with our project, and then take him to get his access card.”

After introducing the new team member, Zhao Shengwen waved his hand: “Xiao Wang, go back and rest.”

“You must be Xu Qingzhou,” Zhao Shengwen said after guiding the short-haired girl and sizing up Xu Qingzhou, shaking his head in amazement. “Young talent indeed. At your age, I was still clueless, thinking only about how to have fun.”

Niobium-titanium alloy superconductors have a high upper critical magnetic field—about 11 T at 4.2 K and about 14 T at 2 K—meaning MRI devices using niobium-titanium alloy superconductors can generate stronger magnetic fields.

“Welcome, junior brother,” the boy who spoke to Wang Wei introduced himself: “I’m Gong Yunfei. Feel free to come to me if you need anything.”

After making the arrangements, Zhao Shengwen left, reassured.

Xu Qingzhou followed Zhao Shengwen into another office. “This is where we organize our data.”

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“Just a little is enough—as long as you have the basics, the rest can be learned gradually.”

Besides Zhao Shengwen, the project had three others: Wang Wei, another slightly chubby youth, and a short-haired female. Hong Yuyu nodded, rummaged through her drawer for Xu Qingzhou’s materials, and asked: “Comsol Multiphysics?”

The short-haired girl, standing before the SQUID, also looked at Xu Qingzhou. She showed no particular warmth and said slowly: “Hong Yuyu.”

Wang Wei squinted and draped an arm over Gong Yunfei.

Comsol Multiphysics is a multiphysics simulation software capable of building complex physical models—he had used it frequently before.

“If this project succeeds, it will benefit the nation and its people for generations to come.”

“Optimizing the performance of niobium-titanium alloy superconductors will enhance MRI equipment performance and diagnostic accuracy.”

“A little,” Xu Qingzhou replied modestly.

The chubby youth walked over, noticing Wang Wei’s strange expression, and asked: “Wei Ge, what’s wrong?”

“What? A freshman?!” Gong Yunfei gasped, staring at Xu Qingzhou in disbelief.

“Yes, just finished military training,” Xu Qingzhou answered, looking “sheepish.”

Walking through the lab with Zhao Shengwen, Xu Qingzhou saw various familiar instruments: SQUID, SEM, TEM. “We’re currently testing thermal conductivity properties. Your job will be to process and analyze data with Xiao Wang and build mathematical models.”

Zhao Shengwen ignored the two students fooling around—lab life was dull, and a little fun now and then was fine. He clapped his hands and said: “Let me introduce you all—this student is ‘Xu Qingzhou,’ from the School of Mathematics. He’ll be joining our project team.”

“Understood, Professor,” Hong Yuyu nodded.

In truth, if someone else had recommended him, he’d have tested their qualifications—but since the recommender was Gu Zhi, it was unnecessary.

Xu Qingzhou greeted them: “Senior brothers and sisters, I’m Xu Qingzhou. Please guide me in the future.”

“Senior Brother Wang, I’m sorry,” Gong Yunfei begged quickly.

“My goodness, junior brother, you’re incredible,” Gong Yunfei gave a thumbs-up.

“Also, our research project is supported by the Jingda Experimental Project Fund and the Jingdu Health Department Research Fund. Participating in such a project will greatly benefit your personal resume and future development.”

“We’re analyzing the electromagnetic and thermal conductivity properties of niobium-titanium alloy superconductors. Niobium-titanium alloy superconductors are widely used in superconducting magnet manufacturing, especially in MRI, where they improve imaging resolution and clarity.”

Hong Yuyu looked at Xu Qingzhou and asked: “Junior brother, can you use MATLAB and Python?”

“A little,” Xu Qingzhou nodded again.

As she spoke, Hong Yuyu handed him a USB drive and said seriously: “Junior brother, all our project materials are here—including papers to read and software tutorials. Review them when you can. But these are internal documents—strictly no external sharing.”

Xu Qingzhou nodded occasionally, gaining a general understanding of the project.

“I understand,” Xu Qingzhou nodded.

“Senior sister, don’t scare the junior brother,” Gong Yunfei walked over, patted Xu Qingzhou’s shoulder, and explained with a smile: “Though universities cooperate, they’re actually competitors—secretly vying against each other, so all materials must be kept strictly confidential.”

For example, Jinling University is working on the same thing; whoever finishes first gets the results.

Xu Qingzhou finally understood why Zhao Shengwen and the others were in such a hurry. Indeed, if the other side released results first, all their efforts would be wasted.

(End of chapter)