A physics professor was indicted by a US federal grand jury for allegedly passing US secrets to China about superconductor technology that can be used in high-speed trains and “electromagnetic-bombs.”
The charges announced on Thursday by US Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Zane Memeger follow recent indictments of six Chinese citizens for stealing wireless data from two US firms, as US Department of Justice officials revamp ways to stop Beijing from taking trade secrets.
Xi Xiaoxing (郗小星), 47, a naturalized US citizen who chairs the physics department at Temple University, was charged with four counts of wire fraud for using his advanced knowledge of thin-film magnesium diboride superconductivity “in an effort to assist Chinese entities in becoming world leaders” in the field.
Zero-resistance electrical technology can be used in floating magnetic-levitation trains, particle accelerators operating near the speed of light and hypersensitive magnetic detectors to clear minefields, according to the UK’s Royal Society of Chemistry.
The technology can also be employed in developing electromagnetic bombs, which release billion-watt pulses to disable enemy electronics. It is also being used to build extra-fast computers and more efficient generation stations.
Xi appeared in federal court in Philadelphia on Thursday and was released on US$100,000 bail.
Officials contend that Xi also offered to build “a world class thin-film laboratory in China.”
If convicted, he could receive a maximum 80 years in prison and a US$1 million fine.
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