Solels

Solels are a fictional mineral resource described in speculative science fiction and world-building narratives. The name blends the root sol, meaning sun, with a mineral-like suffix to evoke light, rarity, and technical precision. In common depictions, solels crystallize as transparent to pale-hued crystals with a faint iridescence and a glow under ultraviolet light.

Geologically, solels are said to form in hydrothermal veins within basaltic crusts of arid or volcanic worlds, where intense solar radiation and geothermal heat promote crystal growth. They are described as thermally and chemically stable, with high melting points and densities around 3.0–3.5 g/cm3, and they often contain trace rare-earth impurities that give color and luminescence.

Applications and significance in fiction center on energy and sensing technologies. Solels are depicted as enabling highly efficient solar conversion, energy storage, and ultra-sensitive quantum or photonic sensors. In some settings, solels also function as currency or as cultural artifacts, lending political and economic leverage to extracting communities.

Extraction and processing are portrayed as technologically advanced but resource-intensive. Ore is mined with automated rigs and refined in high-temperature facilities to produce high-purity crystals suitable for device fabrication. Environmental and ethical considerations frequently appear in narratives, including tailings management and export controls.

If more disambiguation is needed, the term is sometimes confused with similarly named minerals in adjacent fictional worlds, but solels are typically treated as a distinct resource within their own lore.