Evidence of inconsistencies between publicly released raw data and published figures for the claimed observation of the Wigner–Huntington transition to metallic hydrogen

Lin Wang; Hongkai Li; Zhongyan Wu; Guoying Gao; Yongjun Tian

doi:10.1063/5.0306863

Volume 11 Issue 5

Sep. 2026

Turn off MathJax

Article Contents

Article Navigation > Matter and Radiation at Extremes > 2026 > 11(5): 057801

Lin Wang, Hongkai Li, Zhongyan Wu, Guoying Gao, Yongjun Tian. Evidence of inconsistencies between publicly released raw data and published figures for the claimed observation of the Wigner–Huntington transition to metallic hydrogen[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2026, 11(5): 057801. doi: 10.1063/5.0306863

Citation:

Lin Wang, Hongkai Li, Zhongyan Wu, Guoying Gao, Yongjun Tian. Evidence of inconsistencies between publicly released raw data and published figures for the claimed observation of the Wigner–Huntington transition to metallic hydrogen[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2026, 11(5): 057801. doi: 10.1063/5.0306863

Citation:

Lin Wang, Hongkai Li, Zhongyan Wu, Guoying Gao, Yongjun Tian. Evidence of inconsistencies between publicly released raw data and published figures for the claimed observation of the Wigner–Huntington transition to metallic hydrogen[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2026, 11(5): 057801. doi: 10.1063/5.0306863

PDF( 5532 KB)

Evidence of inconsistencies between publicly released raw data and published figures for the claimed observation of the Wigner–Huntington transition to metallic hydrogen

doi: 10.1063/5.0306863

Lin Wang^{1
,
,
,},
Hongkai Li^{1, 2
,},
Zhongyan Wu¹,
Guoying Gao^1
,,
Yongjun Tian^1
,

1.
Center for High Pressure Science, State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, Hebei 066004, China
2.
Key Laboratory for Microstructural Material Physics of Hebei Province, School of Science, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, China

More Information

Corresponding author: a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: linwang@ysu.edu.cn
Received Date: 2025-10-13
Accepted Date: 2026-05-10

Available Online: 2026-09-28

Publish Date: 2026-09-01

Abstract

Abstract

In 2017, Dias and Silvera [Science 355 , 715–718 (2017)] claimed the first laboratory observation of the Wigner–Huntington transition of hydrogen to its metallic phase at 495 GPa. Because this claim relies critically on optical diagnostics and pressure calibration under extreme conditions, reproducibility and full traceability of the underlying datasets are essential. Here, we re-examine the raw data files released alongside the publication. We identify (i) nonuniform intervals of data points in the released diamond Raman spectrum, consistent with artificial removal or adjustment of data points without corresponding disclosure; (ii) pronounced mismatches between the released infrared transmission spectra and the curves shown in the published supplementary materials; and (iii) a highly limited and editable reflectance dataset that is insufficient for independent verification of the reflectivity-based metallicity claim. These issues not only prevent independent reconstruction of key figures, but also cast doubt on the authenticity of Dias and Silvera’s research findings. We encourage clarification of the provenance of the released files and the provision of complete raw datasets and processing details to enable community-wide verification.

Conflict of Interest
The authors have no conflicts to disclose.
Lin Wang: Conceptualization (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Funding acquisition (equal); Investigation (equal); Methodology (equal); Project administration (equal); Supervision (equal); Writing – original draft (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Hongkai Li: Data curation (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Software (equal); Writing – original draft (equal). Zhongyan Wu: Data curation (equal); Formal analysis (equal); Investigation (equal); Writing – original draft (equal). Guoying Gao: Conceptualization (equal); Supervision (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Yongjun Tian: Funding acquisition (lead); Resources (lead); Supervision (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal).
Author Contributions
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created.

FullText(HTML)

References(16)

References

[1]	H.-K. Mao, X.-J. Chen, Y. Ding, B. Li, and L. Wang, “Solids, liquids, and gases under high pressure,” Rev. Mod. Phys. 90, 015007 (2018).10.1103/revmodphys.90.015007
[2]	L. Wang, Z. Wu, G. Gao, and Y. Tian, “Metallization of hydrogen under high pressure: Challenges and experimental progress,” Adv. Funct. Mater. 34, 2411463 (2024).10.1002/adfm.202411463
[3]	J. M. McMahon, M. A. Morales, C. Pierleoni, and D. M. Ceperley, “The properties of hydrogen and helium under extreme conditions,” Rev. Mod. Phys. 84, 1607–1653 (2012).10.1103/revmodphys.84.1607
[4]	M. I. Eremets, A. P. Drozdov, P. P. Kong, and H. Wang, “Semimetallic molecular hydrogen at pressure above 350 GPa,” Nat. Phys. 15, 1246–1249 (2019).10.1038/s41567-019-0646-x
[5]	M. I. Eremets, V. S. Minkov, P. P. Kong, A. P. Drozdov, S. Chariton et al., “Universal diamond edge Raman scale to 0.5 terapascal and implications for the metallization of hydrogen,” Nat. Commun. 14, 907 (2023).10.1038/s41467-023-36429-9
[6]	R. P. Dias and I. F. Silvera, “Observation of the Wigner–Huntington transition to metallic hydrogen,” Science 355, 715–718 (2017).10.1126/science.aal1579
[7]	X.-D. Liu, P. Dalladay-Simpson, R. T. Howie, B. Li, and E. Gregoryanz, “Comment on ‘observation of the Wigner–Huntington transition to metallic hydrogen,’” Science 357, eaan2286 (2017).10.1126/science.aan2286
[8]	H. Y. Geng, “Public debate on metallic hydrogen to boost high pressure research,” Matter Radiat. Extremes 2, 275–277 (2017).10.1016/j.mre.2017.10.001
[9]
[10]
[11]	A. F. Goncharov and V. V. Struzhkin, “Comment on ‘Observation of the Wigner–Huntington transition to metallic hydrogen,’” Science 357, eaam9736 (2017).10.1126/science.aam9736
[12]	E. Snider, N. Dasenbrock-Gammon, R. McBride, M. Debessai, H. Vindana et al., “RETRACTED ARTICLE: Room-temperature superconductivity in a carbonaceous sulfur hydride,” Nature 586, 373–377 (2020).10.1038/s41586-020-2801-z
[13]	N. Dasenbrock-Gammon, E. Snider, R. McBride, H. Pasan, D. Durkee et al., “RETRACTED ARTICLE: Evidence of near-ambient superconductivity in a N-doped lutetium hydride,” Nature 615, 244–250 (2023).10.1038/s41586-023-05742-0
[14]	J. E. Hirsch and D. van der Marel, “Incompatibility of published ac magnetic susceptibility of a room temperature superconductor with measured raw data,” Matter Radiat. Extremes 7, 048401 (2022).10.1063/5.0088429
[15]	J. E. Hirsch, “On the ac magnetic susceptibility of a room temperature superconductor: Anatomy of a probable scientific fraud,” Physica C 613, 1354228 (2023).10.1016/j.physc.2023.1354228
[16]