Anomalous fusion reactions found in YouTube video!

It may be difficult to separate "theory" from "application," but let''s see if this helps facilitate the discussion.
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Sven Andersson
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Anomalous fusion reactions found in YouTube video!

Post by Sven Andersson »

The wisest thing to do for me in the "situation" that I'm "in", would be to offer some sort of apology to Richard Hull and then put toghether a sentence with reservations on ehh, everything that can possibly be denied, and then end the whole thing with blather on nothing that nobody understands. Wise and cowardly. Let's do the opposite.

I hereby claim that he following YouTube video "Fusor Generating X-Rays" by clagwell is a demonstration of fusion between protons and nitrogen nuclei, or protons and oxygen nuclei! Here is what's happening: clagwell is slowly adjusting the pressure and voltage of his Fusor (it's filled with air which contains water vapour); increasing the voltage and decreasing the pressure. At a certain point the pressure is so low that the mean free flight path of the charged particles is about as large as the jar itself. Then the charged particles, with an energy of 10-20 keV are smashed into the brass endings, giving off k-alpha radiation with an energy of around 8 keV, i.e. soft x-rays.

The soft x-rays can both completely ionize the atomic nitrogen and oxygen ions (they are continously beeing thrown into the "star" region of the hollow cathode), and then by dilating time between adjacent fuel nuclei, induce fusion reactions. The precise dynamics is unknown for now; it could be a two stage reaction. First one photon completely ionizes, say a N2+ atom (atomic nitrogen that has lost two electrons), then another photon induces the fusion between that nucleus and a proton that happens to be nearby, or it all happens in one collision.

clagwell wanted to build a star in a jar; he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams! A CNO reaction in your basement...

clagwell left the room on the occasion; how wise, otherwise there would be one amateur fusioneer less in this world.
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Chris Bradley
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Re: Anomalous fusion reactions found in YouTube video!

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Sven Andersson wrote: giving off k-alpha radiation with an energy of around 8 keV, i.e. soft x-rays.
What is meant by 'k-alpha soft x-rays'?

How are these detected?

How do they penetrate the reaction vessel and get measured?

How are they discriminated over the background x-ray continuum that would inevitably be emitted from the acceleration chamber?

You do not link to a video. I have briefly examined http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7ahJi6MYos . Is this your reference? Sensibly, the posters of that video makes no such wild claims as you are doing. They don't even appear to mention the content of the vessel. You appear to be reading far more into it than was ever intended. This is a demonstration of the emission of x-rays by an HV discharge plasma accelerator process. Nothing new here.

In fact, if anything, it shows simply that sub-15kV xrays are generally unmeasurable, which is generally due to the lack of penetrating ability of such energies through, essentially, anything. This fact also limits the capability of a radiation detector to detect such low energy rays as they cannot penetrate the outer casing of the detector.
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Richard Hull
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Re: Anomalous fusion reactions found in YouTube video!

Post by Richard Hull »

P + N fusion can be dismissed out of hand based on the simple physics required to initiate the reaction. There is not enough energy to cause the reaction to take place in the experiment. More wishful hope and no thinking involved.

Ricahrd Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
Sven Andersson
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Re: Anomalous fusion reactions found in YouTube video!

Post by Sven Andersson »

Chris Bradley wrote:
Sven Andersson wrote: giving off k-alpha radiation with an energy of around 8 keV, i.e. soft x-rays.
What is meant by 'k-alpha soft x-rays'?

How are these detected?

How do they penetrate the reaction vessel and get measured?

How are they discriminated over the background x-ray continuum that would inevitably be emitted from the acceleration chamber?

You do not link to a video. I have briefly examined http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7ahJi6MYos . Is this your reference? Sensibly, the posters of that video makes no such wild claims as you are doing. They don't even appear to mention the content of the vessel. You appear to be reading far more into it than was ever intended. This is a demonstration of the emission of x-rays by an HV discharge plasma accelerator process. Nothing new here.

In fact, if anything, it shows simply that sub-15kV xrays are generally unmeasurable, which is generally due to the lack of penetrating ability of such energies through, essentially, anything. This fact also limits the capability of a radiation detector to detect such low energy rays as they cannot penetrate the outer casing of the detector.
k-alpha soft x-rays = x-rays created by x-ray flourescence; the brass endings of the fusor get bombarded by charged particles with an energy of 10-20 keV. X-ray flourescence can be caused by both gamma rays, x-rays or energetic particles. A particlurarly strong peak is the so called k-alpha radiation. For Zinc and Copper that peak is around 8 keV in energy.

In the description of the video "Five Minute FUSOR" clagwell writes "This is a demo fusor. No fusion. No hydrogen. Just air."

It's obviously just air in the Fusor in the other video too.

The soft x-rays don't have to penetrate the reaction chamber, they are generated inside it!

So you don't belive this; then fill a Fusor (with metal walls) with a 50-50 mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen, and make a run at the voltage 10-20 keV.

I have expressed reservations on expressing reservations previously, :-) however now I'm going to make one; the soft x-rays that I belive cause the fusion reactions, could be both standard x-rays (an x-ray continuum) generated by bremsstrahlung and x-rays generated by x-ray flourescence.
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