CFRL English News No.17 (October 10,
2000)
Cold Fusion
Research Laboratory Prof. Hideo Kozima.
This is CFRL News (in English) No. 17 translated from
Japanese version published for friend researchers of Cold Fusion Research
Laboratory directed by Dr. H. Kozima, now in Portland State University. The
e-mail address in PSU is cf-lab.kozima@pdx.edu.
In this issue,
there are following items.
1)
A new paper has been submitted to Fusion Technology and its content is
explained.
2)
I will give a lecture ”Thermal Neutrons and Their
Influences on Nuclear Reactions in Solids” at Wednesday Seminar of Physics
in PSU,
3)
E. Storms has written a Review on CF in Infinite Energy No. 32 (2000) including
critiques on TNCF model,
4)
Some topics about CF Session in ANS,
5)
Recent works done by J. Dash and his
collaborators.
1) H. Kozima, “Neutron Bands
in Metal Hydrides - Effects of Occluded Hydrogen on Nuclear Reactions in
Solids” (Submitted to Fusion Technology)
The new idea in
this paper is an inter-nuclear interaction between lattice nuclei through
neutron bands mediated by occluded hydrogen isotope nucleus. There are several
experimental data showing non-zero probability of a proton (deuteron) wave
function at adjacent lattice nuclei and therefore nuclear interaction between
the proton and the nuclei. Some numerical calculations are proceeding in our
laboratory.
2) H. Kozima “Thermal Neutrons and Their Influences on
Nuclear Reactions in Solids” (to be presented at Wednesday Seminar of Physics
Department at PSU)
Abstract
There
are several remarkable discoveries in science and technology related with
properties of neutrons. These include the discovery of such exotic nuclei as He-10, Li-11, and
Na-32 and so on in nuclear physics, and techniques to control neutrons such as
a neutron trap and a neutron guide, which are used to investigate properties of
neutrons.
We have worked with thermal neutrons in solids and
found some new and interesting features not noticed before. The most important
fact is the formation of band structure in the energy spectrum of neutrons in
solids. A simplified calculation of the band structure gave the result that
there is a strong localization of thermal neutrons in the boundary region of
crystals with appropriate structures. The results of the calculation also
suggest that a new state of neutrons, a neutron drop, which is an aggregate of
a large number of neutrons and a few protons, occurs in the boundary region.
These new properties of neutrons have a strong
influence on interactions of particles in the solids where aggregates of
neutrons occur. In the surface region of crystals, high density neutrons
localized in the region will react with nuclei and nuclear reactions confined
in this region should be observed as new elements and particles emitted from
the crystal. The new state of crystals with high density neutrons free from
nuclear binding will open a new science which should be called solid
state-nuclear physics and give rise to new technology using nuclear reactions
in solids.
3) E. Storms, “A Critical Evaluation of the
Pons-Fleischmann Effect: Part 2” Infinite
Energy 32, 52 (2000)
“ --- Kozima proposes that trapped thermal neutrons catalyze the cold
fusion reaction (TNCF Model). In an attempt to identify a source of such
neutrons, he has proposed formation of metastable neutron clusters of various
sizes. Several questions have not been answered, including exactly what
conditions cause the clusters to interact with the surrounding nuclear
environment, why individual neutrons are not emitted from the material during
such interaction, and why the clusters do not produce “normal” nuclear
products. In addition, his efforts to compare the concentration of these
neutrons to the observed effects are doomed to failure because nuclear activity
is highly localized and impossible to relate to the measured volume of the
samples, a variable used in his model.”
E. Storms shows his
misunderstanding about the nature of a phenomenological model. It should be
discriminated the model and its basis clearly. Then, he should give his
evaluation of the TNCF model at first and its basis next. He criticizes the
TNCF model as a whole taking up only the “several questions”. As we know well,
the work to investigate the basis of the model has just started and is going
on. It is too early to criticize its foundation at present stage of
investigation.
4) 2000 ANS/ENS International Meeting with
cooperation from NEI. November 12 - 16, 2000, “Nuclear Science and Technology:
Supporting Sustainable Development World Wide”
Technical Sessions, (A session on CF
is included as follows.)
“Low Energy Nuclear Reactions - I” Wednesday, November 15, 1:00
p.m. (8 papers)
“Low Energy Nuclear Reactions - II” Thursday, November 16, 8:30
a.m. (7 papers)
“Low Energy Nuclear Reactions - III” Thursday, November 16, 1:00
p.m. (7 papers)
The meeting will be held at Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, D.C. and room charges for a room is $174.00 by “the discounted meeting rate ” for Single and Double.
Many presentations seem to duplicate with
those presented at ICCF8 and I have decided to skip the Meeting this time.
To know general tendency
of the presentation, I will cite here titles of papers on experimental works:
J. Dufour et al., “Experimental Observation of Nuclear Reactions in
Palladium and Uranium”
V. Violante et al., “Recent Results from Collaborative Research at
ENEA-Frascati on Reaction Phenomena in Solids”
M. McKubre et al., “Evidence of d-d Fusion Products in Experiments
Conducted with Palladium at Near Ambient Temperature”
A. Takahashi et al., “Radiation-less Fission Products by Selective
Channel Low-Energy Photo-Fission for A > 100 Elements”
M. Miles et al., “Excess Heat and Helium Production in the
Palladium-Boron System”
T. Mizuno et al., “Heat and Products Induced by plasma Electrolysis”
G. Goddard et al., “Characterization of Uranium Co-Deposited with
Hydrogen on Nickel Cathodes”
G. Miley et al., “Advances in Thin-Film Proton-Reaction Cell
Experiments”
5) Recent works
done by John Dash and his collaborators.
J. Warner and J. Dash, “Heat Produced
during the Electrolysis of D2O with Titanium Cathodes” Proc. ICCF8 (to be published)
Abstract
Cold rolling 20%appears to increase both the amounts of excess heat and reproducibility
obtained by electrolysis of acidified D2O with titanium cathodes.
Unexpected elements such as chromium and iron were detected on the surfaces of
cathodes after electrolysis. The presence of chromium was confirmed by neutron
activation analysis.
G. Goddard, J. Dash and S.
Frantz, “Characterization of Uranium Co-deposited with Hydrogen on Nickel
Cathodes” Proc. ANS/ENS Meeting 2000
(to be published)
Summary
Previously, it has been reported that nuclear transmutation reactions
are accelerated when radioactive elements are subjected to low-level electric
fields during electrolysis of aqueous electrolytes. Our research investigated
the co-deposition of U3O8 and H on Ni cathodes, using an
acidic electrolyte and a Pt anode. Then the radiation emitted by the
electroplated U3O8 was compared with radiation emitted by
unelectrolyzed U3O8 from the same batch. Radiation
measurements were made over a period of about two months with a matched pair of
Geiger-Mueller (GM) detectors using 10 mg of each sample. Consecutive three-minute counts were taken
for 15 hours each day and stored in a computer. The results are shown in Fig.
1. The electroplated U3O8 initially produced about 2900
counts in three minutes (4-17-00). This rose sporadically in steps to about
3700 counts in three minutes on 5-11-00, and it remained relatively constant at
this level until the GM measurements ended on 6-8-00. The unelectrolyzed U3O8
from the same batch emitted radiation at a much lower rate, about 1250 counts
in three minutes, and is remained almost constant over the entire period of
measurement.
After the GM measurements,
a gamma ray spectrometer was used to measure radiation from the same two; 10 mg
electroplated and unelectrolyzed U3O8 samples. The net
integral of the same 36 peaks for the same measurement time (25 hours) gave
53,000 counts for the electroplated sample and 31,000 counts for the
unelectrolyzed sample. Alpha and beta measurements are underway for both
samples.
The cathodes are
characterized before and after electrolysis using a scanning electron
microscope (SEM) and an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The
unelectrolyzed U3O8 is also analyzed using the SEM and
EDS. Fig. 2 shows SEM micrograph of typical surface structure of uranium
electroplated on a nickel cathode. The donut-like features appear to be the
result of microscopic surface eruptions, which produced voids, surrounded by
raised circular rims. Fig. 3 shows an EDS spectrum from electroplated U3O8
on a nickel cathode. In addition to oxygen and uranium, cesium, iron and nickel
are present. A peak at 16.36 keV, which overlaps with a uranium peak at 16.44
keV, is tentatively labeled as fermium. Mass spectrometer and x-ray diffraction
studies are also underway. (Figures are omitted.)