Fusion Message Board

In this space, visitors are invited to post any comments, questions, or skeptical observations about Philo T. Farnsworth's contributions to the field of Nuclear Fusion research.

Subject: Re: Inexpensive neutron source
Date: Oct 25, 8:22 pm
Poster: Jones Beene

On Oct 25, 8:22 pm, Jones Beene wrote:

Re:
>This is rather hard to believe, but I haven't done the experiment yet. I have several of these lamps... They normally have a fillament and have about 36 volts impressed across the cathode and anode run at a few amps, but require a strike voltage of between 500 and 1000 volts. They are small arc lamps with very small apertures and quartz windows.

Hi Richard,

My particular lamp has only two electrodes w/appox 10 mm gap, in a heavy quartz bulb, has no filament nor window, per se. It is nearly identical to several Hg arc lamps that I was using in experiments designed to replicate Ken Shoulder's EV work. I am using the same hv rf power power supply that I was using in that work with an added quadrupler to give ~24kv.

>Deuterium requires a fixed and well known threshold to fuse based on cross section or temperature. None of these are even remotely reached in the deuterium lamp.

Of course one cannot use the lamp's original power supply, if that's what you mean. A ~20 kv threshold is needed for neutrons, just as with the fusor. However, I'm not certain if the neutrons here are coming from fusion or from a stripping reaction.

>I will endeavor to check this out as well.

Yes, please. It should be easy for you to set this up. If any of your tubes are like mine, they will handle the voltage - for how long, though, who knows.

>Be wary of RF noise in the arcing lamp driving the nearby BF3 counter. These counters would rather count anything other than neutrons!!! I am serious as a heart attack about this statement. Never blindly trust a neutron counter to count actual neutrons.

Yes, I know exactly what you mean. I have used or borrowed 4 different monitors to cross check, as EMI can be particularly severe at audio rf frequencies, which is what I am using. Thanks to Scott Little, I have learned that it is impossible to adequately shield a GM tube detector from EM interference, so forget using anything except 3He or BF3, even with both a mesh Faraday cage plus a steel box enclosure.

This is still a work in progress, but I have taken precautions and am pretty confident in the readings so far - especially since I can substitue an Hg bulb and get nothing but when the D bulb is reinserted the readings resume.

As with the Shoulder's experiments, there appears to be a distinct frequency range where electrons do very strange things to ions. In astro-physics, there are many anomalies reported in the "ion acoustic" range. Those hot clouds that astronomers see that radiate in this range are assumed to be shedding heat from a previous nova explosion but it could be possible that that they are still fusing catalytically because of the inteaction of the d ion and EV charge clusters, therby creating their own heat. At least that's the theory that I am pursuing.

Jones