arvusid

Arvusid is a fictional mineral described in speculative science fiction and worldbuilding materials. It does not correspond to any mineral or compound recognized by current science and is used chiefly as a plot device or thought experiment in hypothetical geologies and technologies.

The etymology of arvusid varies by author. In most works the name combines a fictional source, often a planet or civilization called Arvus, with the general mineral suffix -id, which signals a discrete chemical species or crystalline phase.

In the canonical fictional descriptions, arvusid forms as transparent to translucent crystals with a metallic luster. It is typically depicted as highly hard and heat resistant, with a Mohs hardness around 7–8 and a melting point exceeding 1800 degrees Celsius. Some authors ascribe a strong optical or electronic anisotropy, producing distinctive luminescence under specific radiation.

Formation stories place arvusid in ultramafic or high-temperature mantle environments of hypothetical worlds, or as an engineered phase produced via advanced deposition or high-pressure synthesis. Its stability is often linked to subtle chemical doping with rare transition metals.

Within fiction and worldbuilding, arvusid is valued for speculative properties such as high energy storage density, potential superconductivity at low temperatures, or as a durable substrate for quantum or photonic devices. Because it is fictional, there are no real-world synthesis methods or measurements.