(Object) Element X-1 (Polaryte)

Element X-1, also known as Polaryte, was discovered when humanity first arrived in Aquarius. It appears to be unique to the Aquarius Cluster, being found in large deposits of Polaritic Crystals believed to originate originate from the impregnable interior of the Angel Nebula. Scientific understanding of the origins of the element remains unclear. The universally agreed theory dating back to the first discovery of Polaritic Crystals is that an as-of-yet uknown stellar phenomena within, or near, the Angel Nebula created the element. At least one theory suggests Maikor involvement, as Polaryte has unusual properties that defy some established laws of physics, as is often the case with Maikor artefacts.

Polaritic Crystals are fundamentally unusable in crystal form, and must be refined into an unstable plasma by Fusion Superheating, whereby the crystals are fused together in extreme conditions subject to powerful magnetic fields within the core of a Polaritic Barycentric Fusion Refinery. This process was discovered soon after research yielded potential for a variety of uses for the refined Polaritic Plasma, which was used in essentially all advanced technologies of the UTN, from Jump Drives and Shield Modulators to weapons with more destructive potential than ever before wielded by humanity.

||Exerpt from the UTN Federal Scientific Database:
It's one of the "X" elements, X-1 by designation. Polaryte is known to be "Context Sensitive" when applied to other elements, it has properties that change based on fundamental principles that we still do not fully understand. The origin of Polaryte is largely believed to be the product of synthesis by the Great Maikors, and may have properties that transcend the 4-dimensional space/time we curently exist in. One of the most notable examples is polarytic-crystals can cause metal (i.e Titanium) to melt at very low temperatures, like, even 0C (270K).

Polaryte in pure form isn't stable in the universe, it decays rapidly into Polarytic Crystals which are semi-stable. You can refine the crystals into pure Polaryte using extreme Magnetic fields, it's a slow process that takes years but it's currently the only known way to refine Pure Polaryte. The resultant plasma must then be stored in a strong magnetic containment field or it will decay violently releasing damaging Polarytic Radiation. As such, storing any significant amount of X-1 in plasma form is highly energy expensive.

Pure X-1 is used in essentially all modern advanced technology, to some degree.