Of interest:
BRIEF HISTORY OF COLD FUSION AT BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY Secondary title:
PIEZONUCLEAR FUSION AT BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
By BYU Professors Jae Ballif, William Evenson, and Steven Jones
Compiled in 1989
I. Scientific Team
II. History
Quote
I. Scientific Team
A. Brigham Young University Faculty Members - Department of Physics and
Astronomy Steven E. Jones (PI) E. Paul Palmer J. Bart Czirr, Daniel L. Decker
Gary L. Jensen
B. Brigham Young University Faculty Members - Department of Chemistry James M.
Thorne
C. Brigham Young University students Stuart F. Taylor Rod Price J. W. Wang
David Mince Eugene Sheeley Paul Dahl Paul Banks S. Seth Jones David E. Jones
D. University of Arizona Faculty Members - Department of Physics Johann Rafelski
II. History
A. Scientific paper published March 1986 (submitted June 1985)
The roots of our work regarding piezonuclear fusion are described in a
scientific paper published in the Journal of Physics G: Nuclear physics, 12:
213-221. This paper was received by the journal on 12 June 1985 (over three
years before we heard of Pons and Fleischmann, or of Andrei Lipson in Russia,
or of their related work) and published in March 1986.
A1. Theory proposed which presages Brigham Young University experiments
The detailed mathematical framework given in the paper was worked out primarily
by Dr. Clinton Van Siclen, author on the paper with Dr. Steven E. Jones. The
paper discusses fusion at room temperature and how this might be enhanced by
increasing the density of hydrogen isotopes. The paper discusses the transition
of hydrogen to the metallic state under high pressures and other technical
points. One significant concept explored in this paper is that a hypothetical
particle "with mass twice that of the electron" could lead to room temperature
fusion at a rate of approximately one fusion per minute per kilogram of
deuterium. This is close to the actual rates observed in later experiments at
Brigham Young University by Jones and colleagues, and the theoretical framework
given in this early publication continues to be a possible explanation for the
cold/piezonuclear fusion effect. Indeed, this paper is referred to in our later
papers on the Brigham Young University experiments since it provides a
theoretical, mathematical foundation for cold fusion.
A2."Piezonuclear fusion" used by Steven Jones of Brigham Young University to
describe cold fusion In addition to initiating the 1985 study, Steven Jones
(one of the authors) coined the term "piezonuclear fusion" in analogy to the
term "thermonuclear fusion," to indicate that the proposed approach is to
induce fusion by "squeezing" the hydrogen nuclei together at near room
temperatures rather than by heating them to very high temperatures. (The prefix
"piezo-" comes from a Greek work meaning to squeeze or compress.)
Dr. Paul Palmer used the term "cold fusion" beginning in early 1986.
B. Brigham Young University Physics Colloquium 12 March 1986
E. Paul Palmer suggested geophysical applications
The paper was published in March 1986, and on March 12, 1986 many of the
concepts in the paper were described by Dr. Jones at a Colloquium of the BYU
Physics Department. BYU Physics Professor Paul Palmer was present and
associated these ideas with geological data on heat and helium-3 which are
correlated in volcanoes and other thermal regions of the earth. Both heat and
helium-3 are released in fusion reactions (proton-deuteron and
deuteron-deuteron reactions). Dr. Palmer suggested that rock, lava, or crystals
in the earth might help to catalyze the fusion reaction. This creative leap is
recorded in Dr. Palmer's logbook, dated March 13, 1986 in some detail (copies
available on request to BYU Physics Department).
C. Report to DOE 13 May 1986
Our work on cold piezonuclear fusion was reported to the DOE in the 1985-86
Annual Performance Report, dated 13 May 1986, along with three related
documents: the Van Siclen/Jones paper on piezouclear fusion, a note entitled
"Experiments in Cold Fusion" dated 28 March 1986 by Paul Palmer; and "Comments
on Catalyzed Fusion," a note by Steven Jones dated 1 April 1986. It was at this
time that Prof. Jones received permission from the DOE funding agent R
Gajewiski to pursue research on this aspect of cold nuclear fusion under an
already existing DOE grant to Brigham Young University for muon-catalyzed
fusion research.
D. Brigham Young University's experimental program D1. Planning began in March
1986
As a result of discussions generated by the Physics Department colloquium
by Dr. Jones on March 12, 1986, an experimental program was worked out to test
these new ideas. An important discussion meeting was held at BYU on April 7,
1986, involving Profs. Czirr, Jones, and Palmer of BYU, and Johann Rafelski of
the University of Arizona, along with student researchers. Plans for the
research were extensively developed at the meeting. Prof. Rafelski had been
very active in theoretical work on piezonuclear fusion since late 1985 and
strongly urged the active pursuit of this experimental effort at BYU.
D2. Use of Pd, Li, Al, Cu, Ni, Pt under non-equilibrium conditions, was
outlined 7 April 1986 - notarized lab notebook page.
Prof. Jones's brief notes from the April 7, 1986, meeting record that the
metals aluminum, copper, nickel, platinum, palladium (because it "absorbs
hydrogen readily"), and lithium were discussed as prime candidates for the
process. The importance of non-equilibrium conditions was discussed; in
particular, "shocked hydrides" and "electric discharge" were considered. These
notes were notarized that day by Lee R. Phillips, a notary and BYU attorney,
showing the importance attached to these ideas by the physicists present.
D3. Geophysical evidence for cold fusion was sought in the scientific
literature as early as April 1986
On April 13, 1986, Prof. Palmer noted in his logbook a number of fusion
reactions to be studied, including the deuteron + lithium reaction. (On March
18, he had noted the high amounts of sodium and lithium in magmas; these later
became ingredients in our electrolyte solution, commonly known as "Mother Earth
Soup".) On April 16, he records the findings of a paper by the Russian
physicists B.A. Mamyrin, L. V. Khabarin, an V. S. Yudenich [Dokl. Adad. Nauk.
SSSR, 237: 1054 (1987)] in which they report excess helium-3 found in various
metals. This paper was encouraging to us, but we were surprised that no
follow-up work was recorded in the literature.
D4. Electrochemical cell built and measurements taken beginning May 1986 On May
22, 1986, our first electrochemical cell for "electrolytic infusion of hydrogen
into metals" was
built (see Prof. Palmer's logbook) and on May 23, D2O (heavy water) was added.
Using a sodium-
iodide detector, we looked first for gamma rays from proton-deuteron fusion,
and found on May 27 that the foreground rate when the cell operating was
slightly higher than the background rate when the cell was not operating, but
the result was not statistically significant. In June, we developed another
means of loading hydrogen isotopes into metals, using pressurized gases, and
added a neutron detector.
D5.. Work on a highly sensitive, energy resolving neutron detector was begun in
1986, since neutrons of the correct energy are a sure indicator of nuclear
fusion
Throughout the summer of 1986, work was done on the neutron detector,
while different electrolytes were tried, including the addition of NaOH or
H2SO4 to D2O and the addition of "impurity salts" of
various metals. We also tried loading the cathode with deuterium gas before
beginning the electrolysis (see, e.g., 10 September 1986 entry). By September
3, 1986, we saw a foreground minus background
rate of about 5x10-3 in the neuron counter, but the result was neither not
consistently repeatable. However, this rate proved to be consistent with the
rate obtained in later work when the neutron counter system had been
dramatically improved. As the Fall 1986 school term began anew, we concluded
that in order to make progress in our work we had to first improve the neutron
detector. Bart Czirr and Gary Jensen continued this work. Some of the effort
went into trying to find suitable hydrogen-rich, inorganic scintillator. While
this work continued, Dr. Jones pursued muon-catalyzed fusion research.
D6. Student papers presented on piezonuclear fusion experiments in March and
April 1988
In January, 1988, Prof. Jones organized a student research class along
with Prof. Palmer and Prof. Larry Rees. Cold or piezonuclear fusion was one of
the principal research topics, pursued by students Paul Dahl and Paul Banks.
Both wrote term papers on the topic. On 12 March 1988, Paul Dahl presented an
oral paper at the Spring Research Conference of the BYU College of Physical
Sciences and Mathematics; his paper was entitled "An Experimental Investigation
of Piezo-nuclear Fusion." On 25 March 1988, we prepared some deuterided metal
samples, which we sent to Harmon Craig of the University of California at San
Diego, for helium and tritium analysis. These examples were later sent to Al
Nier of the University of Minnesota, but analysis had not been completed as of
30 March 1989 as our paper for Nature neared completion.
D7. Further experiments planned, research program set out and pursued
vigorously from August 1988
