CFRL English News No. 42              (2002. 11. 10)

Cold Fusion Research Laboratory (Japan) Dr. Hideo Kozima, Director

                            E-mail address; cf-lab.kozima@pdx.edu

                            Website; http://web.pdx.edu/~pdx00210/

            (Back numbers of this News are posted on the above Website)

 

   This is the CFRL News (in English) No. 42 for Cold Fusion researchers published by Dr. H. Kozima, now at the Physics Department and Low Energy Nuclear Laboratory, Portland State University, Oregon, USA.

This issue contains following items:

1) Italian Conference on Cold Fusion will be held in December (Call for papers).

2) Brief Report of JCF4-Morioka (4th Meeting of Japan CF Research Association, October 17-18, 2002, Morioka, Japan)

3) On the Science and Patentability in CF Research

 

1) Italian Conference on Cold Fusion Phenomenon will be held in December (Call for papers).

   A mail from F. Celani, Italy to JCF members announced that a Conference on the Cold Fusion Phenomenon will be held this December in Italy, as follows:

TESMI Meeting;

TESMI (Tecniche ed Esperimenti in Sistemi Metallo-Idrogenno (Techniques and Experiments in Metal-Hydrogen Isotopes Systems)) Meeting will be held,

Place; at Universita degli Studi di Lecce (Lecce University), Lecce Italy,

Date; 6-7 December 2002.

Presentation; Oral and poster presentations are called for

Themes; on Calorimetry, Measurement of emission products, Determination of transmuted elements and Proposal of new theories.

Proceedings; Publication of proceedings will be expected.

Contact: nassisi@le.infn.it

Official Language(s); Italian (and English?)

 

2) Brief Report of JCF4-Morioka (4th Meeting of Japan CF Research Association, October 17-18, 2002, Morioka, Japan)

   The above Meeting was held in Morioka, Iwate, Japan with 25 presentations. Program and Abstracts of these presentations are posted in JCF Website;

http://www.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp/nuc/03/nuc03web/JCF/file/jcf4_prg.pdf

http://www.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp/nuc/03/nuc03web/JCF/file/jcf4abstract.pdf

   Following is my personal report of JCF4-Morioka.

1-1. Most impressive experimental works presented in this Meeting are those of machines with cold fusion material with gDiffusion or permeation of hydrogen isotopes through transition metals and other plates by pressure difference.h

   V.A. Romodanov and others [1] was the first to use this type of samples in cold fusion experiments since 1995, as far as I know. They used cylinders of metals (Mo, Nb, Zr, . . .) and ceramics (TiC, VC, ZrC and ZrN) filled with D2 gas at a pressure of 1 atm put in a D2 gas of 0.2 atm and used them as cathodes for glow discharge. They observed a lot of tritium in the outside gas after discharge experiments especially with cathodes of Mo, TiC, VC, etc.

   In ICCF6, a similar method with electrolysis on one side and a vacuum on the other was developed and used by Mitsubishi Group to detect simultaneous production of excess heat and nuclear products. [2]

   Experiments reported by a group in Iwate University and another in Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have succeeded those reported in ICCF9-Beijing, 2002 (Cf. CFRL News No.36). Report Numbers of these reports in the JCF4 Abstracts are JCF4-3, 4, 18, 19, 20 (Iwate University Group) and JCF4-16 and 17 (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries group).

Iwate University Group.

   There are three types of experiments performed by this group: (1) electrolytic (JCF4-3 and 4), (2) gas diffusion by pressure difference (JCF4-18 and 19), and (3) glow-like (near-arc) discharge conditions (JCF4-20). (Cf. CFRL News No.36, Article 1, List 95 – 97.)

Especially interesting results obtained by this group are (a) detection of heavy nuclides as Ba in surface layers of Pd cathode with H2O electrolysis (JCF4-3) and (b) detection of Cr, Fe, and Cu in the surface layers of Pd films with H2 diffusion through them. In the latter case, isotope ratios of the detected nuclides are close to those of natural ones.

This data of the isotope ratios the same to natural ones may show (i) the mechanism to produce new nuclides is the same (or similar) to one worked to produce the natural isotopes of these elements, or (ii) the observed nuclei were contamination of natural elements by some chance. The second possibility seems excluded in their experiments with care for it and we tend to accept the first possibility.

A reasoning of the first possibility of new nuclides production with the same isotope ratios to the natural ones is given by the mechanism where participate high-density neutron liquid and/or neutron drops presented by the present author (ICCF9 Abstracts p.56, CFRL News No.36, Article 1, List 44, JCF4-9). The high-density neutron liquid and/or neutron drops formed therein work to form nuclides as shown by the simulation calculation to show stability of neutron star matter and formation of the Coulomb lattice of neutron-proton clusters [3]. If the situation in the boundary layers in the above experiments is close to condition of heavy nuclides formation in stars, the isotope ratios might be close each other as observed in the experiments (JCF4-18).

 

Mitsubishi Heavy Industry Group.

   The work presented by this group succeeds the presentations in ICCF8iProc.ICCF8 i‚Q‚O‚O‚Oj, p.141j and ICCF9 (Cf. CFRL News No.36, Article 1, List 34 – 36.). Detection of Pr (from Cs) and Mo (from Sr) reported at ICCF9 was reconfirmed by other methods in addition to XPS (X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy). Pr and Mo were detected by X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and TOF-SIMS (Time-of-Flight SIMS).

   Productions of such nuclear products with mass and proton numbers largely shifted from preexisted nuclides as Pr and Mo in these experiments and Ba and others in experiments by Iwate University Group are explained by the interaction of the neutron liquid and/or neutron drops with preexisted nuclides as discussed in my paper JCF4-9 presented in this Meeting.

 

1-2. Other experimental groups in Japan, Hokkaido University, Yokohama National University, Osaka University and Kobe University of Mercantile Marine are continuing their experiments obtaining definite results confirming their former results.

   F. Celani of INFN-LNF (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare – Laboratorio Nazionale Frascati (National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Frascati National Laboratory)), Italy presented their recent work on electrolytic system with Sr and Hg salts (JCF4-5). They observed new nuclides in the surface layers of Pd cathodes.

 

1-3. I have given an explanation of generation of largely shifted nuclides in those experiments cited above based on the neutron liquid and neutron drops formed in boundary layers. My presentation

Neutron Drops and Production of the Larger Mass-Number Nuclides in CFP

at the Meeting is reproduced and put in pdf-file attached to this News. This paper gives a possible explanation of experimental data sets obtained by Mitsubishi group and Iwate University Group as explained above.

 

[1] V.A. Romodanov, V.I. Savin and Ya.B. Skuratnik, "Nuclear Reactions at Effect of Deuterium Ions on Ceramic Materials from Plasmas of Glow Discharge", Progress in New Hydrogen Energy (Proc. ICCF6) (1996, Hokkaido, Japan), 590 (1996) and references cited therein.

[2] Y. Iwamura, N. Gotoh, T. Itoh and I. Toyoda, hCorrelation between Behavior of Deuterium  in  Palladium  and  Occurrence  of  Nuclear  Reactions  Observed by Simultaneous  Measurement  of  Excess  Heat  and  Nuclear Productsh, Proc. of ICCF6 (Hokkaido, Japan) p.274 (1996)

[3] J.W. Negele and D. Vautherin, "Neutron Star Matter at Sub-nuclear Densities" Nuclear Physics, A207, 298 (1973).

 

3) On the Science and Patentability in CF Research

   The cold fusion phenomenon (CFP), as I have noted many times during the past 13 years of research, should be understood as gnuclear reactions and accompanying events occurring in solids with high densities of hydrogen isotopes in ambient radiation.h

It is clear that solid state physics and nuclear physics below a few hundred MeV are in the realm governed by quantum mechanics. Therefore, CFP should be treated by quantum mechanics until its applicability is clearly impossible in this field.

   In the past, we have had some discussions about CFP based on unsound bases, ignoring basic laws of quantum mechanics and also denying experimental facts inexplicable by simple application of present knowledge of nuclear physics and solid state physics.

   We should not commit these mistakes by abandoning fundamental principles in modern physics, but also by hasty denial of experimental facts seemingly contradicting present knowledge of nuclear physics and solid state physics. We must consider the characteristics of CFP which occurs in complex systems with many components interacting with several kinds of forces. Nuclear physics of the 20th century was concerned with nuclear reactions and the structure of nuclides in free space. Solid state physics was  mostly independent of nuclear reactions, especially those induced by neutrons in them.

   T. Sawada also noticed this point in his presentation at JCF4 (JCF4-25).

   Following recent articles about patentability, it is advisable for our CFP research to be in the realm of quantum mechanics.

As I have reported in the Preface to CFRL News No.29 (in Japanese) about a patent to N. Tesla, it is said that the Patent Office of the United State of America cancelled the patent for wireless communication once gave to G. Marconi and gave it to N. Tesla. The articles on patentability by Bob Park cited below show that the Patent Office opens its window for scientific inquiry about the reality of ideas in patent applications. We scientists should be careful not to greviseh principles and basic laws in science.

 

Articles related to patentability by Bob Park recently appeared in his weekly newsletter gWhatfs Newh.

 

 [WN Friday, September 6, 2002]

2. PATENT NONSENSE: COURT DENIES BLACKLIGHT POWER APPEAL

The status of BlackLight Power's (BLP) intellectual property is fuzzier than ever. BLP was awarded Patent 6,024,935 for "Lower-Energy Hydrogen Methods and Structures," a process for getting hydrogen atoms into a "state below the ground state." (WN 18 Feb 00) You might expect these shrunken hydrogen atoms, called "hydrinos," to have a pretty special chemistry. Do they ever. Indeed, a second patent application titled "Hydride Compounds" had been assigned a number and BLP had paid the fee. Several other patents were in the works. That's when things started heading South. Prompted by an outside inquiry (who would do such a thing?), the patent director became concerned that this hydrino stuff required the orbital electron to behave "contrary to the known laws of physics and chemistry." The Hydride Compounds application was withdrawn for further review and the other patent applications were rejected. Since the one patent already issued involves the same violations of basic laws of physics, there is a cloud over its status as well. BLP filed suit in federal court arguing that it was too late for the Patent Office to change its mind. The court was not impressed, so BLP appealed the decision. In denying the appeal, the court said the Patent Office has a responsibility to take "extraordinary action" to withdraw a questionable patent. The long-awaited IPO may have to wait a little longer. (Boldfaced at citation.)

[WHAT'S NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday, 18 Oct 02]

2. PATENTLY ABSURD: THERE ARE A LOT OF SCREWY PATENTS OUT THERE.

The standards have been too lax, and the Patent Office knows it. Patents are reexamined in extreme cases, such as hydrinos (WN 6 Sep 02) and the motionless electromagnetic generator (WN 23 Aug 02), but it's rare.  However, a provision in the Patent and Trademark Office Authorization Act making it clear that it's never too late to reexamine a patent if substantial new questions of patentability are raised, should help (WN 6 Sep 02).