There is this essay examining what it would be like if arenak was real:
I suspect the creator of Adamantium was (another Marvel metal), as it’s used in much the same way. It starts out as a “resin” (instead “putty”) that is formed into the desired shape, then hardens into nigh-indestructibility.
Some uses that occur to me:
Energy storage. An arenak flywheel could hold a tremendous amount of energy as a kinetic battery.
Optics: Being much tougher than glass and transparent, it would be useful in both harsh conditions and for high-energy optics aka lasers.
High-pressure experiments: As a very strong transparent material it’s useful for studying matter under high compression, since you can actually see what’s happening.
Prosthetics: It’s very strong for its weight, it would serve well as the framework for things like artificial arms and legs.
Complex mechanical systems: The availability of such a strong, durable material means you could make significantly more complicated mechanical systems without them constantly failing because Tiny Part #4375 snapped.
Moderating
Welcome to the SDMB, @JennyEverywhere. We hope that you enjoy your time here.
Discussions about literature belong in our Cafe Society forum, which did not exist when this thread was created. Since this old thread has been resurrected, let’s move it to the appropriate forum.
Moving from IMHO to CS.
If arenak is as invisible as people suggest, that would mean its refractive index is close to 1, since it can’t be distinguished from air. That raises all sorts of questions about its physics, and suggests uses as windows and the like. But it means you can’t use it as a lens.
On the other hand, your suggestion about using it for high-energy optics suggests another use.
I know from experience that the output mirror or a directing mirror for a very high power laser is a very difficult thing to build and maintain. If you get a spot of dust on it, o a speck of corrosion, that will end up absorbing a portion of the laser light it reflects. And since we are talking about high power lasers, the sort used in weapons, or perhaps excavation, tha’s a lot of energy going into local heating of a spot on the surface. With most materials, that means that a larger defect is created. And the next time the laser is fired, or on the next pulse, an even larger defect results. The process bootstraps itself until the entire mirror or window is destroyed and useless.
But if your directing mirror is protected by this unobtainium arenak, the dust speck or whatever will be resting on the surface of this invisible yet virtually indestructible material. A portion of the laser beam is absorbed by the speck, which promptly evaporates, leaving the surface clean. Or maybe it bakes onto the surface, but then subsequent shots are absorbed by that baked-on spot and produces fast reactions. Eventually the spot burns off, because the underlying surface remains unaffected. It’s the ideal solution to protecting a redirecting mirror for a very high power laser.