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Re:Millimeter wave technology drills 100 meters into granite by pfdietz on Tuesday June 23, 2026 @10:13PM (#48654278)
SF6 is a horrifically powerful greenhouse gas, so I doubt it could be used. Its GWP is somewhere around 23,000 on a 100 year timescale.
Re:Millimeter wave technology drills 100 meters into granite by MadnessASAP on Tuesday June 23, 2026 @11:20PM (#48654696)
Oh yeah, there's no shortage of reasons not to use SF6. Even in conventional waveguides, as far as I know most designs these days prefer nitrogen or dried atmospheric air.
Re:Millimeter wave technology drills 100 meters into granite by superxpro12 on Wednesday June 24, 2026 @11:15AM (#48661244)
Anytime i see fluoride, im immediately concerned about anything in its immediate surroundings...
Re:Millimeter wave technology drills 100 meters into granite by pfdietz on Wednesday June 24, 2026 @12:23PM (#48662193)
Some fluorine compounds are quite stable. SF6 has two downsides: its GWP from very great stability in the atmosphere (it needs to rise into the mesosphere to be decomposed, not just the stratosphere, giving it an atmospheric lifetime of as much as 3000 years) and toxic compounds produced when it finally is broken down by energetic processes like arc discharges.