Staislav Adamenko--- Proton-21 Fusion -- Over-Unity,
Transmutation of nuclear Waste; articles, US Patent Application

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**Stanislav ADAMENKO**

**Proton-21 Fusion**

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 **Proton 21****

Chernovola Street, 48a   
Vishnevoe,   
Kievo-Svyatoshiskyi  08132   
Ukraine



Phone/Fax +38044-5991046 --- Phone: +38044-5990826 ---
Mob.phone: +38063-4256260   
E-mail: edl@proton21.com.ua   
Spoken languages: English, Russian and Ukrainian.

****http://www.proton21.com.ua/articles\_en.html**

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**[Proton-21 Introduction](#proton21)**   
**[Tim Ventura : Proton 21 - The New
Fusion](#ventura)**   
**[S. Adamenko: US Patent Application #
20050200256 : Method and Device for Compressing a
Substance by Impact and Plasma Cathode Thereto](#uspa)**   
**[S. Adamenko, et al.: *Technical
Physics Letters* 27(8): 671-673  (August 2001)
--- Vacuum Electric Discharge Initiated by Accelerated
Nanoparticles](#spr2)**

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**http://www.proton.21.com.ua**

**Proton-21****

Welcome to Electrodynamics Laboratory "Proton-21" --- the
pioneer in a new field of nuclear physics and of the new
method and installation for laboratory nucleosynthesis.   
Laboratory

Advancements over the span of the last fifty years in many
fields of scientific and technological research such as
Genetics, Physics, Telecommunications and other fields has
outperformed progress in the field of Power Generation and
Decontamination of Radioactive wastes. Progress in the fields
of controlled thermonuclear synthesis and radioactive wastes
decontamination technology also lag in comparison despite
investments in research by the developed nations exceeding USD
100 billion.

One key issue that remains unresolved to this date in this
particular field of research is the development of processes
and technology for controlled ignition of self-sustaining
nuclear reactions. For this, an adequate "initiator" of such
controlled nuclear transformations is required; one which will
result in a sustainable and controlled energy output and the
transmutation of radioactive atoms into stable ones.

ElectroDynamics Lab (EDL) was founded in Kiev, Ukraine in
1999 by a group of Ukrainian engineers and scientists to
address the specific problem of the adequate initiator. EDL's
primary mission statement was to develop a novel, safe and
effective technology for radioactive wastes decontamination.
Today, privately funded EDL has evolved into a leading edge
Research and Development center employing in excess of 120
researchers and scientists. The proven results of its research
and its proprietary process, currently being patented, are
able today to address the unresolved issue of nuclear wastes
transformation.

EDL's results are revolutionary in their nature and are
leading to important commercial and industrial breakthrough
applications.

Primary Focus of EDL's Research:

The primary focus of EDL's research is based on a newly
developed and self sustainable process which leads, through a
controlled stimulation, to the collapse of condensed matter.
In this collapsed state thus created, the effect of the
Coulomb barrier becomes insignificant, and a rapid
transmutation of elements and isotopes occurs and can be
observed.

Main Research Results:

The first successful experiment was performed on February 24,
2000 in a specially created and proprietary set up. In fact,
the 5,000+ successful experiments in controlled
nuclei-synthesis performed since 1999, using various targets
made of light, medium, or heavy elements; have allowed the
research team at EDL to comprehend and evaluate this unique
scientific breakthrough.   
The discovered process has been noted for its practical,
environmentally friendly and extraordinary energy efficient
attributes.

Two major outcomes have emerged from this process:

First, the creation of an energy output far exceeding the
initial impact.

Second, the creation of an array of unique nuclei-synthesis
elements. These new elements were tested by leading scientific
laboratories in Ukraine, Russia, USA, etc, and their
artificial origin was confirmed.

The obtained results confirm the following:

The technological process created and validated by EDL is a
unique and a pioneer experimental technology. It achieves
record-breaking conditions for multiparticle nuclear
fusion-fission reactions in condensed matter.

The laboratory installation developed by EDL has achieved
high reproducibility results in reaching appropriate
conditions in a compressed format necessary for the ignition
of the collective multiparticle fusion-fission reactions.

The new elements resulting from the nuclceosynthesis created
by the EDL process are free of ?-, ?-, ?-, -active isotopes.
The radiation intensity of the products never exceeds the
background intensity.

Elements marked with radioactive isotopes had their activity
reduced due to full nuclear rebirth of a portion of the target
element after the high energy impact.

The presence of long living isotopes in super heavy elements,
on the border and beyond the Periodic Table, was revealed by
the nuclear transmutation. These were synthesized in
quantities many times exceeding those principally gained by
classic methods at much reduced energy costs.

Objectives:

EDL's immediate objective is to finalize the pilot project of
a new industrial prototype hundred times exceeding the
performance of the existing laboratory setup.

EDL intends to continue and expand its research work in new
fields of nuclear physics: including a) laboratory
astrophysics, b) physics of collective synergetic interactions
of previously unknown mechanisms, and c) energy creation and
transformation processes.

EDL intends to develop a series of unique, radiation safe,
and environmentally appropriate, industrial technologies to be
used in commercial applications.



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**http://www.americanantigravity.com/articles/587/1/Proton-21---The-New-Fusion/Page1.html**  


**Proton 21 - The New Fusion**

**by Tim Ventura**

**(  09/12/2006 )**

**Stanislav Adamenko on Emerging Fusion Research**

By subjecting a copper electrode to a gigawatt
pulse of energy, Dr. Stanislav Adamenko believes that he's
found a new form of fusion that occurs inside a millimeter
sized plasma that forms in the electrode. Has Adamenko finally
cracked the code for solid-state fusion, and what potential
for future energy does it hold? He joins us for the inside
story on Proton 21's research in creating "The New Fusion"...

"Simply put, we're dealing with physical
processes that exhibit a strongly nonlinear dependence. A good
example to consider is the amount of the excess energy
released in a LENR reaction versus the amount of the active
substance involved in the experiment-- this is something that
we've examined extensively in our own experimental research.

This nonlinear dependence explains why the
majority of well-known LENR experiments demonstrate such
extremely small yields in terms of energy production &
nucleosynthesis, as well as why the results are so difficult
to replicate or even accurately identify when they occur.

I'm sure that in the next five to ten years,
collective & coherent nuclear reactions will become the
focus of major investment in the field of nuclear-energy
research, and it will lead to the beginning of a large-scale
transition to a new, environmentally-friendly means of
producing energy based on collective natural nuclear
transformations." - Dr. Stanislav Adamenko

**http://www.americanantigravity.com/documents/Proton-21-Interview.pdf**

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**United States Patent
Application   20050200256**

**Adamenko, Stanislav Vasilyevich**

**( September 15, 2005 )**

**Method and Device for Compressing a
Substance by Impact and Plasma Cathode Thereto**

Abstract --- A method of compressing a substance by
impact in axisymmetric relativistic vacuum diodes (RVD)
having a plasma cathode and an anode-enhancer including:
producing an axisymmetric target of a condensed substance,
which functions at least as a part of the anode-enhancer;
axially placing said electrodes; and pulse discharge of a
power source via the RVD. To compress a substantial
portion of the target substance to a superdense state, a
plasma cathode is used in the form of a current-conducting
rod comprising a dielectric end element having the
perimeter of the rear end embracing the perimeter of the
rod in the plane perpendicular to the axis of symmetry
with a continuous gap, and the area of the emitting
surface being greater than the maximum cross-section area
of the anode-enhancer; the anode-enhancer is placed
towards the plasma cathode so that the center of curvature
of the working surface of the anode enhancer is located
inside the focal space of the collectively self focussing
electron beam; and the anode-enhancer is acted upon by an
electron beam with an electron energy not smaller than 0.2
MeV, current density not smaller than 106 A/cm2 and
duration not greater than 100 ns.

Correspondence Name and Address:

Abelman Frayne & Schwab : 150 East 42nd Street , New
York NY 10017 US

U.S. Current Class:  313/238;  U.S. Class at
Publication:  313/238 ;  Intern'l Class: 
H01J 001/00

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates:

[0002] to a method for impact compression of a condensed
(liquid or, preferably, solid) substance to a superdense
state in which pycnonuclear processes and inertial
confinement fusion (ICF hereafter) may proceed, and

[0003] to a structure of devices based on relativistic
vacuum diodes (RVD hereafter) including plasma cathodes,
designed for carrying out the said method.

[0004] This technology is intended practically for
transmutation of atomic nuclei of certain chemical
elements into nuclei of other chemical elements with the
purpose of:

[0005] Experimentally obtaining preferably stable
isotopes of chemical elements including synthesis of
stable transuranides;

[0006] Reprocessing radioactive waste containing
long-lived isotopes into materials containing short-lived
isotopes and/or stable isotopes, which is particularly
important in decontamination of used gamma-ray sources,
e.g., based on radioactive isotopes of cobalt widely used
in industry and medicine.

[0007] In future, this method may be useful for obtaining
energy by the ICF with utilization of preferably solid
targets.

[0008] For the purpose of this description, the following
terms as employed herein and in the appended claims refer
to the following concepts:

[0009] "target" is a once used for impact compression
dose of at least one arbitrary isotope of at least one
chemical element, being a raw material for obtaining
products of nuclear transformations and, optionally, a
primary energy carrier for energy producing;

[0010] "impact compression" is an isoentropic impact
action of a self-focusing converging density wave on at
least a part of a target;

[0011] "superdense state" is such a state of at least a
part of the target after it has been compressed by impact,
at which state a substantial portion of the target
substance transforms into electron-nuclear and
electron-nucleonic plasma;

[0012] "pycnonuclear process" is such a recombinational
interaction (`cold` in particular) between components of
electron-nuclear and electron-nucleonic plasma of the
target substance compressed to a superdense state causing
at least the target isotopic composition change;

[0013] "plasma cathode" is such a consumable axisymmetric
part of the RVD negative electrode which is able (in the
beginning of the discharge pulse) to generate plasma shell
(of the material of the near-surface layer) with the near
zero electron work function;

[0014] "anode-enhancer" is such once used replaceable
axisymmetric part of the RVD anode which may be completely
produced of preferably conductive (in the main) material
and used as a target itself in the simplest demonstration
experiments, or has the shape of at least a single-layer
shell of a hard strong material inside of which a selected
target is fixed also axisymmetrically providing the
acoustic contact, when such anode-enchancer is used for
industrial needs;

[0015] "focal space" is such a volume in the RVD vacuum
chamber which spatially confines a certain length of the
common geometric symmetry axis of the RVD electrodes and
in which (in the absence of obstacles and under pre-set
values of the area of the emitting surface of the plasma
cathode, energy of electrons and current density) a pinch
of electron beam is possible due to collective
self-focussing of relativistic electrons.

BACKGROUND ART

[0016] It is well known theoretically (see, e.g., U.S.
Pat. No. 4,401,618) that in order to carry out a
controlled nuclear fusion, it is necessary and sufficient:

[0017] First, to make a target of a microscopic size, the
mass of which is usually of several micrograms to several
milligrams,

[0018] Second, to fix the formed target in a space,

[0019] Third, to transfer a target substance into a
superdense state by as uniform as possible impact
compression of the target,

[0020] Fourth, to hold the substance of the target in
such state the time enough for transmutation and/or
nuclear fusion of atoms, which can be accompanied by
energy release or absorption.

[0021] Worth to be mentioned that said limitations of the
target mass are important mainly for the ICF because 1 mg
of deuterium or a mixture of deuterium and tritium has an
energy equivalent of about 20-30 kg of trinitrotoluene.

[0022] Also theoretically obvious is the fact that
transmutation and/or nuclear fusion occur actually
simultaneously with the attainment of a superdense state.
Therefore, the efforts of researchers in the field of
nuclear physics have been directed to the creation of most
efficient methods and means for impact compression of
substances so far.

[0023] And, finally, it is also theoretically clear that:

[0024] such a compression is possible only under the
conditions of generating a high-power mechanical impulse
of the duration order of several tens of nanoseconds and
focussing this impulse onto a substantial area (up to the
whole) of the surface of a target located in a securely
isolated from the environment volume,

[0025] means for space-time compression of an energy flux
are required for that purpose, such as primary energy
source, at least one energy storage, at least one
converter for transforming the accumulated energy into a
mechanical impact impulse, and a mechanical striker for
essentially isoentropic transfer of this impulse onto the
target,

[0026] the problem of a sufficient set of such means and
interactions between them can be solved in different ways
depending on the purposes of the experiments with the
impact compression of a substance provided that (when
connected to an industrial power network) the first but
not the only energy storage is usually a device based on a
LC-circuit (see, e.g., collected articles: Energy Storage,
Compression and Switching, edited by W. H. Bostick, V.
Nardy and O. S. F. Zucker. Plenum Press, New York and
London).

[0027] For years, efforts to realize said theoretical
assumptions in practice had been directed only to the ICF
the industrial mastering of which seemed to be sufficient
for the humanity to move to "energy paradise".

[0028] For this reason, only gaseous deuterium or
deuterium and tritium were used as an active substance
from the very beginning, and targets were produced in the
shape of tight empty spheres filled with microscopic
(about 0,1 mg) portions of said hydrogen isotopes. Then,
the beams of laser drivers were pointed at each such
target uniformly and synchronously from many sides.

[0029] Heating of the shell caused an ablation (partial
evaporation) of its outer portion. The expansion of the
evaporated material was giving rise to reactive forces
which caused implosion, i.e. uniform compression of the
inner portion of the shell and active substance of the
target in the direction to the sphere center (see, e.g.,
(1) U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,618; (2) J. Lindl, Phys. of
Plasmas, 1995; (3) K. Mima et al., Fusion Energy, 1996.
IAEA, Vienna, V. 3, p. 13, 1996).

[0030] This ICF scheme seemed to be irreproachable.
Actually, the duration of laser radiation pulses can be
brought to about 1 ns. This could ensure efficient time
compression of an energy flux, and a sharp decrease in the
target surface area could be a prerequisite for the space
compression of said flux as well.

[0031] Unfortunately, the efficiency of lasers does not
exceed 5%, that from very beginning made doubtable the
effectiveness of the laser driver, taking into account
Lawson criterion (J. D. Lawson, Proc. Phys. Soc., B.70,
1957). Further, the synchronization of lasers switching
requires a sophisticated automatic control system. And,
finally, the ablation is accompanied with significant
losses in energy for heating the shell and target as a
whole. Thus, nobody has brought so far the gaseous
substance of the target to the superdense state and has
got a positive yield of energy that could exceed the
energy consumption for ICF initiation.

[0032] Known are the efforts to create the pressure and
temperature sufficient to ignite fusion reactions by means
of an acoustic driver, which must to induce cavitation in
condensed, liquid in particular, targets (U.S. Pat. Nos.
4,333,796; 5,858,104 and 5,659,173). Particularly,
International Publication WO 01/39197 describes:

[0033] (1) a cavitation fusion reactor comprising:

[0034] at least one source of mechanical supersonic
oscillations,

[0035] preferably a plurality of sound conductors capable
of transmitting these oscillations into the confined body
of a target in a resonance mode with an increase in the
energy flux density per unit of area,

[0036] means for heat removal in the form of a suitable
heat exchanger;

[0037] (2) such method of use of the described reactor,
which includes:

[0038] producing targets poorly conducting sound by
pressing a fuel material required for nuclear fusion,
preferably titanium deuteride, or lithium deuteride, or
gadolinium dideuteride, etc., into a solid sound
conducting matrix from a refractory metal (e.g. titanium,
tungsten, gadolinium, osmium or molybdenum), introducing
at least one such matrix with at least one such target
into acoustic contact with at least one sound conductor
connected to the source of mechanical supersonic
oscillations,

[0039] acting upon such matrix by a train of supersonic
impulses in a resonance mode, which acting causes
mechanical-and-chemical destruction of deuterides and
fluidization of targets due to the conversion of kinetic
energy of the mechanical oscillations into the heat and
essentially simultaneously induces cavitation in the
`liquid` targets due to `evaporation` of deuterium from
the targets, i.e. appearance of vapor bubbles and their
collapse under the pressure of the host material, and

[0040] terminating the process after nuclear fusion
reactions with energy release inside the targets are
completed.

[0041] Use of solid (in the initial state) targets and
supersonic mechanical impulses for their impact
compression seems to be rather attractive. Unfortunately,
like lasers, the sources of ultrasound have insignificant
efficiency. Moreover, unlike lasers, these sources yield
rather small density of power in the impulse, which makes
it necessary to put the system `ultrasound
source--deuteride target` in the resonance mode. However,
even in this mode, the major portion of energy is spent
for heating targets and dissipates. Therefore, impact
compression of the substance to a superdense state was not
achieved even in case of prolonged pumping of energy into
the target.

[0042] Accordingly, the problem of creation of feasible
methods and means for impact compression of the substance
to a superdense state remains urgent.

[0043] Long-range approach to its solution is based on
use of RVD known since the beginning of the 20.sup.th
century (see, e.g., (1) C. D. Child, Phys. Rev., V. 32, p.
492, 1911; (2)1. Langmuir, Phys. Rev., V. 2, p. 450,
1913).

[0044] Each RVD comprises a vacuum chamber inside of
which a cathode and an anode are fixed, said cathode and
anode are connected to an electric charge storage via a
pulse discharger. With a sufficiently great charge and a
short duration of a discharge pulse, such diodes are
capable of providing an explosive electron emission from
the surface of the cathode and acceleration of electrons
to relativistic velocity with the efficiency of more than
90%.

[0045] Exactly in this function of generators and
accelerators of powerful electron beams, the relativistic
vacuum diodes had been the object of attention of
physicists during the whole 20.sup.th century, and
numerous enhancements to the design of such diodes as the
whole and particularly cathodes for them were intended for
the space-time compression of energy in the electron beams
and shaping these beams to required spatial form.

[0046] An effort in creation of a method for compressing
a substance by impact in the RVD for ICF is known from
U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,970. This method includes:

[0047] First, producing a target in the shape of a
symmetric pellet of a condensed (preferably solid)
substance from a frozen thermonuclear fuel (i.e. deuterium
or a mixture of deuterium and tritium),

[0048] Second, placing the target between the RVD
electrodes, in other words, into the volume, into which
the output of means for anode plasma generation is opened,
and

[0049] Third, practically synchronous injection an anode
plasma and compression of the target with impulse (at 10
ns) annular impact by means of short-circuit of a powerful
current (the order of 100 TW and the energy of 1 MJ) via
the anode plasma.

[0050] However, such method does not provide the
compression of the target substance to a superdense state
and holding it in such state long enough for nuclear
fusion with energy release because the size of the target
is obviously smaller than the path length of the electrons
with the energy of about 1.5 MeV. That is why the kinetic
energy of electrons practically immediately converts into
thermal energy in the whole body of the target causing a
spatial thermal explosion of the nuclear fuel. Further, it
is extremely difficult in the known method to synchronize
hitting of the freely flying target into the center of an
annular RVD cathode with the discharge of the source of
energy and producing a flat plasma anode. Accordingly,
focussing of the electron current on the target can be
achieved only occasionally despite of adjusting the
discharge voltage and the anode plasma density.

[0051] An RVD based device for impact compression of a
substance, known from the same patent, comprises a
spherical vacuum chamber fitted with a heat exchanger and
provided with a channel for targets feeding, two annular
cathodes located symmetrically with respect to the central
plane of the vacuum chamber, additional plasma injecting
device located between the cathodes and forming a flat
plasma anode directly prior to the discharge of the
supplying circuit.

[0052] And finally, the known from the same patent
cathode has a current carrying part and a focussing tip
made in the shape of a ring with a sharp edge for
increasing an electric field gradient thereon. The edge of
such cathode is covered with its own layer of plasma
during a discharge.

[0053] It is actually impossible to transfer a tangible
portion of energy of the annular electron beam to the
target in such RVD, because the beam is already on the
pinch threshold at the very moment of its formation and is
unstable (especially in combination with such plasma
anode, which parameters change essentially both during
each pulse and from one pulse to another).

[0054] Therefore, it is desirable that the anode should
be made from solid substance and either itself functions
as a target or incorporates a target, and that the pinch
should be prevented in the gap between the electrodes and
self-focussing of the electron beam be achieved on the
anode surface simultaneously in the process of the
discharge.

[0055] It is astonishing, that, according to the
available data, main attention in development of such
means was paid only to shaping the RVD cathode emitters
while using essentially flat anodes. A striking example of
such approach can be a RVD based pulse source of electrons
that comprises a plasma cathode having a shaped plate of a
dielectric material and a conductive cover of precisely
the same shape for a portion of the surface of said plate
(SU 1545826 A1). Under a pulse discharge, such a composite
cathode can generate an electron beam, which is not
subject to the pinch and has the shape that corresponds to
the shape of the dielectric plate.

[0056] However, such as much as possible uniform
compression of the target, which is necessary for the ICF
and pycnonuclear processes, is unachievable by shaping the
electron beam only. Therefore, the described RVD and its
analogues can not be feasibly applied in the processes of
impact compression of a substance up to a superdense
state.

[0057] Problems in suppressing the pinch in the gap
between the electrodes and in providing the self-focussing
of electron beams on the target surface made many
physicists so pessimistic that they came to a conclusion
of principal inapplicability of RVD's as drivers for
transmutation processes and ICF (see, e.g., (1) James J.
Duderstadt, Gregory Moses, Inertial Confinement Fusion.
John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1982. (2) E. P. Velikhov,
S. V. Putvinsky. Fusion Power. Its Status and Role in the
Long-Term Prospects. In 4.2.2. Drivers for Inertial
Controlled Fusion/http://relcom.website.ru/wfs-moscow.
etc).

[0058] Nevertheless, the research in this direction
continued.

[0059] Thus, the nearest to the invention, as for the
technical essence, method and means that are in principle
applicable for impact compression of a substance were
disclosed at International Conference dedicated to
particle accelerators (S. Adamenko, E. Bulyak et al.
Effect of Auto-focusing of the Electron Beam in the
Relativistic Vacuum Diode. In: Proceedings of the 1999
Particle Accelerator Conference, New York, 1999) and in a
later article (V. I. Vysotski, S. V. Adamenko et al.
Creating and Using of Superdense Micro-beams of
Relativistic Electrons. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in
Physics Research A 455, 2000, pp. 123-127).

[0060] Method of impact compression of a substance, which
can be easily perceived by those skilled in the art from
the above-mentioned sources of information, includes:

[0061] producing a target in the shape of such an
axisymmetric part from a condensed substance that is at
least a part of a RVD anode (namely, in the shape of a
hemispheric tip of a needle-like anode-enhancer having a
diameter of the order of several micrometers),

[0062] placing the target in the RVD fitted also with an
axisymmetric plasma cathode, which is located practically
on the same geometric axis with said anode-enhancer and is
spaced by several millimeters therefrom, and

[0063] pulse discharge of the power source via the RVD in
the self-focussing mode of an electron beam on the surface
of the anode-enhancer.

[0064] Device using the described method for impact
compression of a substance was made on the basis of a RVD.
It comprises:

[0065] a strong gas-tight housing a part of which is made
of a current-conducting material shaped in axial symmetry
to confine a vacuum chamber, and

[0066] an axisymmetric plasma cathode and an axisymmetric
anode-enhancer fixed in said chamber practically on the
same geometric axis of which at least plasma cathode is
connected to a pulsed high-voltage power source.

[0067] The cathode was made in accordance with a
classical scheme: `current-conducting (usually metallic)
rod converging in the direction to the anode ended with
dielectric element`, the perimeter and the area of the
operative end of the latter element being no greater than
the respective perimeter and the cross section of said rod
(Mesyats G. A. Cathode Phenomena in a Vacuum Discharge:
The Breakdown, the Spark and the Arc. Nauka Publishers,
Moscow, 2000, p. 60).

[0068] Shaping the both electrodes in the specific
geometric forms allowed the pinch to be suppressed in the
RVD gap, and to sharpen the electron beam to provide it's
self-focussing on a small portion of the surface of the
anode-enhancer.

[0069] However, such essentially point action on the
anode-enhancer is suitable only for demonstration of the
RVD applicability for impact compression of a substance,
but it cannot provide the compression of a substantial
portion of the target body to a superdense state at each
pulse discharge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0070] Therefore, the invention is based on the problem:

[0071] First, by way of changing the conditions of
performing the steps, to create such a method for impact
compression of an essential portion of the target
substance to a superdense state that could be fulfilled at
each pulsed RVD discharge,

[0072] Second, by way of changing the shapes and relative
positions of electrodes in RVD, to create such a device
for compressing a substance by impact, which would ensure
effective application of the method, and

[0073] Third, by way of changing the shapes and dimension
ratios of conductive and dielectric parts, to create such
an axisymmetric plasma cathode which would provide the
most economic effective application of the method.

[0074] The first aspect of the problem is solved so that
in the method of compressing a substance by impact using a
RVD having an axisymmetric vacuum chamber with
current-conducting walls, an axisymmetric plasma cathode
and an axisymmetric anode-enhancer, including:

[0075] producing a target in the shape of an axisymmetric
part of a condensed substance that functions as at least a
part of the anode-enhancer,

[0076] placing the anode-enhancer into the RVD chamber
with a gap towards the plasma cathode practically on the
same geometric axis therewith, and

[0077] pulse discharge of the power source via the RVD in
the electron beam self-focussing mode on the surface of
the anode-enhancer, according to the invention

[0078] the axisymmetric plasma cathode is used in the
form of a current-conducting rod comprising a dielectric
end element having the perimeter of the rear end embracing
the perimeter of said rod at least in the plane
perpendicular to the axis of symmetry of the cathode with
a continuous gap, and the area of the emitting surface
being greater than the maximum cross-section area of the
anode-enhancer,

[0079] the anode-enhancer is placed with such a gap
towards the plasma cathode that the center of curvature of
the working surface of the anode-enhancer is located
inside the focal space of the collectively self-focussing
electron beam, and

[0080] the anode-enhancer is acted upon by an electron
beam having the electron energy not less than 0.2 MeV,
current density not less than 10.sup.6 A/cm.sup.2 and
duration not greater than 100 ns.

[0081] The results of application of this method happen
to be quite unexpected even for the inventor who had been
striving for them more than 10 years. Thus, using the
simplest monometallic targets of highly pure copper,
tantalum and other materials enabled to demonstrate
experimentally the following:

[0082] after being compressed by impact, a tangible
portion of each target mass flew apart and precipitated as
aggregates of transmutation products on the walls of the
RVD vacuum chamber and/or on a shield mentioned below;

[0083] some aggregates were rather homogeneous as for
their elemental composition;

[0084] in the aggregates were certainly detected not only
stable isotopes of known chemical elements which had not
been present in the substance of the targets as admixtures
but also relatively stable isotopes of unknown now and not
yet identified transuranides;

[0085] isotopic composition of the products of
transmutation of the target substance essentially differed
from the reference data on the isotopic composition of the
same elements in the Earth's crust,

[0086] the attempts to detect positive yield of thermal
energy from the zone of transmutation failed up to now.

[0087] The above distinguishes the transmutation
according to the invention in essence from the traditional
transmutation attained by bombardment of solid targets
(e.g., made from the same copper or molybdenum) by ions
(deuterons as a rule) produced from sources with
magnetically confined anode plasma and run in complicated
and dangerous in operation pulse accelerators to obtain
power fluxes of the order of 1 kW at the ion energy of
more than 5 MeV (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,110). In
fact, only known in advance mainly radioactive isotopes of
known in advance chemical elements, e.g., Zn.sup.65,
Mo.sup.99, I.sup.123, O.sup.15, etc. can be produced in
such processes, whereas the method according to the
invention is applicable at least for fusion of
transuranides in quantities sufficient for chemical study.

[0088] Mentioned above and described in detail below
results of carrying out the method according to the
invention allow to suppose that the electron beam is
collectively self-focussing on a essential portion of the
surface of the anode-enhancer and excite in its
near-surface layer a mechanical soliton-like density
impulse converging to the symmetry axis of the target.
This impulse transmits in the isoentropic manner the
energy received from the electron beam to a portion of the
target substance near its symmetry axis. The leading edge
of said impulse tends to a spherical form. Therefore, as
the soliton-like impulse reduces to a certain small volume
with the center on the target symmetry axis, its leading
edge becomes steeper, and the density of energy therein
increases to a magnitude sufficient for the substance to
reach a superdense state enough for pycnonuclear processes
to proceed. That is the reason why the simplest (and, what
is very important, practically safe in operation) RVD type
electron accelerator with a minimum power consumption
provides (as will be shown in detail below) the
transmutation nuclear reactions with the yield of a wide
spectrum of isotopes.

[0089] The first additional feature consists in that used
in the relativistic vacuum diode plasma cathode has a
pointed current-conducting rod, the dielectric end element
of this cathode is provided with an opening for setting on
said rod, and the setting part of said rod together with
the pointed end is located inside the opening. This allows
to control at least partially the gap between the RVD
electrodes and to stabilize the plasma cathode operation,
that is especially important for experimental optimization
of the impact compression process.

[0090] The second additional feature consists in that the
target is formed in the shape of an insert into the
central part of the RVD anode-enhancer, the diameter of
said insert is chosen in the range of 0.05 to 0.2 of the
maximum cross-sectional dimension of the anode-enhancer.
This allows to use any material as an object of
compression to a superdense state irrespective of its
electric conductivity and its usage both in a solid and a
liquid state. Naturally, a liquid should be encapsulated
either directly in the solid shell of the anode-enhancer
or in an individual shell, which, after closure, must be
inserted with the maximal acoustic transparency into the
anode-enhancer.

[0091] The third additional feature consists in that at
least that part of the anode-enhancer, which is directed
to the plasma cathode, is spheroidally formed prior to
mounting in the RVD. This allows the mechanical
soliton-like impulse of density to be concentrated in a
microscopically small volume and, as a result of this
concentration, to provide the impact compression of an
each target substance up to a superdense state with a
yield of 10.sup.17 to 10.sup.18 atoms of transmuted
products even with the minimum (the order of 300-1000 J)
energy consumption for a single `shot`.

[0092] The fourth additional feature consists in that the
target is formed in the shape of a spheroidal body tightly
fixed inside the anode-enhancer in such a way that the
centers of the inner and outer spheroids practically
coincide. This allows to increase essentially the yield of
a transmuted material.

[0093] The fifth additional feature consists in that the
anode-enhancer is acted upon by an electron beam having
the electron energy up to 1.5 MeV, current density not
greater than 10.sup.8 A/cm.sup.2 and duration not greater
than 50 ns. These parameters are sufficient for
pycnonuclear processes to proceed in targets consisting of
the most stable atoms of chemical elements from the
`middle part` of the periodic table.

[0094] The sixth additional feature consists in that the
current density of the electron beam is not more than
10.sup.7 A/cm.sup.2, which is sufficient for effective
impact compression of the majority of condensed target
materials.

[0095] The seventh additional feature consists in that
the residual pressure in the RVD vacuum chamber is
maintained at the level not greater than 0.1 Pa, which is
quite sufficient to prevent a gas discharge between the
RVD electrodes.

[0096] The second aspect of the problem is solved in that
in a device for impact compression of a substance, which
is based on RVD and is comprised of:

[0097] a strong gas-tight housing a part of which is made
of a current-conducting material shaped in axial symmetry
to confine a vacuum chamber, and

[0098] an axisymmetric plasma cathode and an axisymmetric
anode-enhancer mounted with a gap in the vacuum chamber
practically on the same geometric axis of which at least
the cathode is connected to a pulse high-voltage power
source, according to the invention

[0099] the plasma cathode is made in the form of a
current-conducting rod comprising a dielectric end element
having the perimeter of the rear end embracing the
perimeter of said rod at least in the plane perpendicular
to the axis of symmetry of the cathode with a continuous
gap, and the area of the emitting surface being greater
than the maximum cross-section area of the anode-enhancer,

[0100] at least one of the electrodes is provided with a
means for adjusting the gap between the electrodes, and

[0101] the distance from the common geometric axis of
said plasma cathode and anode-enhancer to the inner side
of the current-conducting wall of the vacuum chamber is
greater than 50d.sub.max, where d.sub.max is a maximum
cross-sectional dimension of the anode-enhancer.

[0102] The RVD having the combination of the mentioned
features is useful at least for transmutation of nuclei of
certain chemical elements into nuclei of other chemical
elements as it was disclosed above in the commentaries to
the subject matter of the method according to the
invention.

[0103] The first additional feature consists in that the
current-conducting rod of the plasma cathode is pointed
and the dielectric end element is provided with an opening
for setting on said rod the setting part of which is
located together with the pointed end inside the said
opening. Such design makes it possible to stabilize the
plasma cathode operation and at least partially to adjust
the gap between the electrodes in the RVD by shifting the
dielectric end element with respect to the
current-conducting rod.

[0104] The second additional feature consists in that the
anode-enhancer has a circular shape in the cross section
and is completely produced from a current-conducting in
its main mass material to be transmuted. This allows to
demonstrate the effect of transmutation on the simplest
specimens of pure metals and metal alloys and to product
transuranides in particular.

[0105] The third additional feature consists in that the
anode-enhancer is made composite and comprises at least a
one-layer solid shell and an inserted target tightly
embraced by this shell, said target being in the shape of
a body of revolution and made of an arbitrary condensed
material with a diameter in the range of
(0.05-0.2).multidot.d.sub.max, where d.sub.max is a
maximum cross-sectional dimension of the anode-enhancer.
This allows to carry out the impact compression of a
substance not only with the purpose of transmutation of
atomic nuclei but also with the purpose of producing
energy in the volume where pycnonuclear processes proceed
with substantial (at least by an order) overshooting the
Lawson criterion.

[0106] The fourth additional feature consists in that at
least one shield preferably of current-conducting material
is mounted in the tail part of the anode-enhancer. It can
capture a portion of products of pycnonuclear processes
produced as a result of the impact compression of the main
target to a superdense state and function as an additional
target for nuclear interaction at the scattering of
transmuted particles of the anode-enhancer.

[0107] The fifth additional feature consists in that said
shield is a thin-wall body of revolution with the diameter
not less than 5d.sub.max which is spaced from the nearest
to the plasma cathode end of said anode-enhancer by the
distance up to 20d.sub.max, where d.sub.max is a maximum
cross-sectional dimension of the anode-enhancer. Such
shield promotes self-focussing of the electron beam on the
major portion of the anode-enhancer surface and captures a
tangible portion of products of pycnonuclear processes.

[0108] The sixth additional feature consists in that said
thin-wall body of revolution has a flat or concave surface
at the side of the anode-enhancer. This significantly
retards precipitation of the pycnonuclear processes
products on the vacuum chamber walls.

[0109] The third auxiliary aspect of the problem is
solved in that in the axisymmetric plasma cathode having a
current-conductive rod for connection to a pulsed
high-voltage power source and a dielectric end element
according to the invention the perimeter of the rear end
of the dielectric element embraces the perimeter of said
rod with a continuous gap at least in the plane
perpendicular to the axis of symmetry of the cathode.

[0110] In case of a breakdown along the surface, the
dielectric end element of such cathode is practically
instantly covers with plasma. The electron work function
in such plasma is close to zero. Therefore, the current in
the RVD electrode intermediate gap and, respectively, the
total electron energy in the electron beam practically
coincide with physically permissible maximum values of
these parameters. That is why the plasma cathode of the
invention is especially useful in RVD based devices for
impact compression of a substance.

[0111] The first additional feature consists in that the
current-conducting rod of the plasma cathode is pointed
and the dielectric end element is provided with an opening
for setting on said rod the setting part of which is
located together with the pointed end inside the said
opening. As mentioned above, this makes it possible to use
the plasma cathode at least as one of means for adjusting
the gap between the RVD electrodes.

[0112] The second additional feature consists in that the
dielectric end element has a blind opening, which is more
preferable in adjusting the gap between the RVD
electrodes.

[0113] The third additional feature consists in that the
dielectric end element has a through opening, that is more
preferable for controlling the formation of a plasma cloud
and, respectively, stabilizing of the RVD operation at the
moment of breakdown.

[0114] The fourth additional feature consists in that the
dielectric end element is made of a material selected from
the group consisting of carbon-chain polymers with single
carbon-to-carbon bonds, paper-base laminate or textolite
type composite materials with organic binders, ebony wood,
natural or synthetic mica, pure oxides of metals belonging
to III-VII groups of the periodic table, inorganic glass,
sitall, ceramic dielectrics and basalt-fiber felt.

[0115] This list of preferable materials allows selection
of dielectrics taking into account various requirements.
For example, said organic materials and basalt-fiber felt
are useful in terms of convenience in producing dielectric
end elements and handling them while adjusting the gap
between the RVD electrodes, and the rest of the mentioned
inorganic materials are useful in terms of wear resistance
and minimum effect upon the residual pressure in the RVD
vacuum chamber after each next `shot`.

[0116] The fifth additional feature consists in that the
dielectric end element has a developed surface to
facilitate formation of a plasma cloud in case of a
breakdown.

[0117] The sixth additional feature consists in that the
minimum cross-sectional dimension of said dielectric
element is C.sub.de min=(5-10).multidot.C.sub.cr max, and
the length of said element is
I.sub.de=(10-20).multidot.C.sub.cr max, where C.sub.cr max
is a maximum cross-sectional dimension of the
current-conducting rod. Such relative dimensions of parts
of the plasma cathode completely exclude the pinch in the
RVD electrode intermediate gap and ensure the electron
beam self-focussing on a substantial part of the
anode-enhancer.

[0118] It will be understood that:

[0119] In selection of specific embodiments of the
invention, arbitrary combinations of said additional
features with the primary inventive concept are possible,

[0120] This inventive concept can be supplemented and/or
specified within the scope defined by the claims using
general knowledge of those skilled in the art,

[0121] The preferable embodiments of the invention
disclosed below are in no way intended to limit the scope
of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0122] The essence of the invention will now be explained
(in examples of nuclei transmutation in pycnonuclear
processes) by detailed description of the device and
method for compressing a substance by impact with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0123] FIG. 1 is a structural layout diagram of
electrodes in the RVD, the adjustable geometric parameters
being pointed out;

  
  
  
  


![](fig1.jpg)

[0124] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a pulsed high-voltage
power source;

![](fig2.jpg)

[0125] FIG. 3 is a preferable structure of an axisymmetric
plasma cathode (a section along the symmetry axis);

![](fig3.jpg)

[0126] FIG. 4 is a view of the rear end of the axisymmetric
plasma cathode taken along the plane IV-IV (with a cross
section of the current-conducting rod);

![](fig4.jpg)

[0127] FIG. 5 is an integral axisymmetric anode-enhancer
used directly as a target for demonstration of impact
compression of a substance to a superdense state (a section
along the symmetry axis);

![](fig5.jpg)

[0128] FIG. 6 is a hollow-body axisymmetric anode-enhancer
with an inserted spherical target designed, e.g., for at
least partial transmutation of long-lived radioactive
isotopes of selected chemical elements into stable isotopes
of as a rule other chemical elements (a section along the
symmetry axis);

![](fig6.jpg)

[0129] FIG. 7 is a graphic charts of voltage and current
change in the RVD discharge pulse;

![](fig7.jpg)

[0130] FIG. 8 is a diagram of absolute (by weight %)
distribution of chemical elements according to the mass of
atomic nuclei in products of transmutation of chemically
pure copper;

![](fig8.jpg)

[0131] FIG. 9 is a diagram of relative distribution of the
same chemical elements according to the mass of atomic
nuclei in products of transmutation of chemically pure
copper;

![](fig9.jpg)

[0132] FIG. 10 is a diagram of absolute (by weight %)
distribution of chemical elements according to the mass of
atomic nuclei in products of transmutation of chemically
pure tantalum;

![](fig10.jpg)

[0133] FIG. 11 is a diagram of relative distribution of the
same chemical elements according to the mass of atomic
nuclei in products of transmutation of chemically pure
tantalum;

![](fig11.jpg)

[0134] FIG. 12 is a diagram of absolute (by weight %)
distribution of chemical elements according to the mass of
atomic nuclei in products of transmutation of chemically
pure lead;

![](fig12.jpg)

[0135] FIG. 13 is a diagram of relative distribution of the
same chemical elements according to the mass of atomic
nuclei in products of transmutation of chemically pure lead;

![](fig13.jpg)

[0136] FIG. 14 is a reference mass spectrum of isotopes of
nickel obtained by a study of samples of natural nickel that
coincides with the natural abundance of such isotopes in the
Earth's crust;

![](fig141516.jpg)

[0137] FIG. 15 is a mass spectrum of relative
distribution of isotopes of nickel in one of aggregates on
a copper shield obtained in the result of pycnonuclear
processes in an integral copper target (specimen No. 1);

[0138] FIG. 16 is the same mass spectrum as in FIG. 15
obtained in a study of another aggregate of atoms of
nickel on the same shield;

[0139] FIG. 17 is a microphotography of a product of
impact compression of a substance to a superdense state in
the form of an iron hemisphere with a spherical cavity
driven into a copper shield and partially etched by an ion
beam.

![](fig17.jpg)

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0140] The device according to the invention (FIG. 1) is
made on the basis of a RVD. The essential parts thereof
are:

[0141] a strong gas-tight housing 1 which is made partly
from a current-conducting material (for example, copper or
stainless steel) shaped axisymmetrically to confine a
vacuum chamber closed, in the operation condition, with a
dielectric end cover 2 and connected when required via at
least one pipe (not shown) to a vacuum pump;

[0142] a non-consumable axisymmetric current-conducting
rod 3 preferably circular in the cross section and
preferably tapered in the longitudinal section, rigidly
and tightly fixed in the cover 2 and intended for
connection of RVD to a pulsed high-voltage power source
described below;

[0143] a replaceable (as worn out) axisymmetric plasma
cathode comprising:

[0144] a current-conducting rod 4 having its tail fixed
in the rod 3 and

[0145] a dielectric end element 5 rigidly connected with
the rod 4, said element 5 having the area of the working
end exceeding the cross-section area of the rod 4;

[0146] an axisymmetric anode-enhancer 6 which can be
either integral or including a target 7, the maximum
cross-section area of said anode-enhancer being smaller
than the area of the emitting surface of the dielectric
end element 5;

[0147] optionally, a shield 8 preferably of
current-conducting material is mounted on the tail part of
the anode-enhancer 6;

[0148] at least one (not shown specially but denoted with
pairs of arrows under the contours of the plasma cathode
4, 5 and the anode-enhancer 6) mean for adjusting a gap
between the electrodes, i. e. the space between the point
of intersection of the end surface of the dielectric
element 5 of the plasma cathode with its symmetry axis and
similar point at the end of the anode-enhancer 6 both
lying practically along the same geometric axis.

[0149] The RVD pulsed high-voltage power source (FIG. 2)
in the simplest case can be a well known to those skilled
in the art system that includes at least one capacitive or
inductive energy storage with at least two plasma (or
other) current interrupters. However, preferable are
`hybrid` sources of power (see, e.g., 1. P. F. Ottinger,
J. Appl. Phys., 56, No. 3, 1984; 2. G. I. Dolgachev et al.
Physics of Plasma, 24, No. 12, p. 1078, 1984) which
comprise connected in series (FIG. 2):

[0150] an input transformer 9 with means for connection
to an industrial power network and a high-voltage output
winding,

[0151] a storage LC-circuit 10 comprising suitable (not
shown) capacitors and inductors,

[0152] a unit 11 for plasma interruption of discharge
current in the LC-circuit comprising a set of well known
to workers in the art plasma guns symmetrically located in
one plane, the number of which (up to 12, in particular)
usually being equal to the number of capacitors in the
LC-circuit.

[0153] Of course, besides of said power units, the RVD
pulsed high-voltage power sources usually incorporate
means (not shown) for measuring pulse current and voltage,
such as at least one Rogovski belt and at least one
capacitive voltage divider.

[0154] A source of such type was used for the RVD supply
in experiments on compressing a substance by impact to a
superdense state described below. This source could
provide the following values of the controlled parameters:

[0155] Mean energy of beam electrons . . . 0.2 to 1.6 MeV

[0156] Electron beam duration . . . not greater 100 ns

[0157] Electron beam power . . . 2.10.sup.9 to
0.75-10.sup.12 W

[0158] High-voltage discharge current . . . 10 kA to 500
kA.

[0159] For effective carrying out of the method of impact
compression of a substance, it is recommended to follow a
number of additional conditions when producing individual
parts of the RVD and targets.

[0160] Thus, it is important that the distance from the
common geometric axis of the plasma cathode 4, 5 and
anode-enhancer 6 to the inner side of the
current-conducting wall of the housing 1 exceed
50d.sub.max, where d.sub.max is a maximum cross-sectional
dimension of the anode-enhancer 6.

[0161] It is desirable that the plasma cathode (FIG. 3)
has its current-conducting rod 4 pointed and dielectric
end element 5 provided with a blind or through opening.
This element 5 must be fitted on the rod 4 with a slight
tightness so that the setting part of the rod 4 together
with the pointed end be found inside said opening. The
shape of such opening in its cross-section and the
cross-section of the rod 4 (provided the conditions of
axial symmetry be followed) may be not circular (e.g.,
oval, elliptic, star-like, as shown in FIG. 4, etc.).

[0162] It is also desirable that the perimeter of the
rear end of the dielectric element 5 (FIG. 4) at least in
the plane perpendicular to the symmetry axis of the plasma
cathode embrace the perimeter of the current-conducting
rod 4 with a continuous gap. It is to be understood that
this condition can be provided in various shapes of
cross-sectional outline of the rod 4 and element 5.

[0163] It is highly preferable that the dielectric end
element 5 of the plasma cathode have a developed outer
surface, e.g., initially rough, as shown in FIG. 4, or
deliberately corrugated at least in one arbitrary
direction. Particularly, element 5 can be used having a
shape of an axisymmetric multiple-pointed star in their
cross-sections.

[0164] It is desirable that the minimum cross-sectional
dimension C.sub.de min of said element 5 be in the range
of (5-10).multidot.c.sub.cr max, and the length I.sub.de
be in the range of (10-20).multidot.c.sub.cr max, where
c.sub.cr max is a maximum cross-sectional dimension of the
current-conducting rod 4.

[0165] Said element 5 of the plasma cathode can be made
of any dielectric material, which (at the chosen shape and
dimensions) is capable for a breakdown under the chosen
working voltage in the gap between the RVD electrodes.

[0166] It is preferable that such material be selected
from the group consisting of carbon-chain polymers with
single carbon-to-carbon bonds (e.g., polyethylene,
polypropylene etc.), paper-base laminate or textolite type
composite materials with organic binders, ebony wood,
natural or synthetic mica, pure oxides of metals belonging
to III-VII groups of the periodic table, inorganic glass,
sitall, basalt-fiber felt and ceramic dielectrics.

[0167] As it was mentioned above, the axisymmetric
anode-enhancer 6 can be:

[0168] either integral (FIG. 5) and consisting of an
arbitrary solid usually current-conducting in its mass
preferably metallic material (including both pure metals
and their alloys), e.g., copper, tantalum, lead, etc.;

[0169] or have (FIG. 6) at least a one-layer preferably
spherical shell 6 made of preferably current-conducting
material and an axisymmetric inserted target 7 tightly
fixed in said shell and made of an arbitrary condensed
(solid or liquid) substance to be compressed by impact.

[0170] A maximum diameter of the axisymmetric inserted
target 7 is preferably selected in the range of
(0.05-0.2).multidot.d.sub.max, where d.sub.max is a
maximum cross-sectional dimension of the anode-enhancer 6
as a whole. Irrespective of the geometric shape of the
target 7 body, it must be fixed inside the anode-enhancer
6 so that the center of its surface curvature practically
coincide with the curvature center of the working surface
of the anode enhancer 6. It is very important that
dislocation density in the material of the anode-enhancer
6 and in the material of the target 7 be as small as
possible and that an acoustic contact be provided between
these parts.

[0171] Said shield 8, which can be mounted in the tail
part of the anode-enhancer 6, is usually made from a
current-conducting material as a preferably thin-wall body
of revolution. The diameter of said shield 8 must be not
smaller than 5d.sub.max and it's distance from the working
end of the anode-enhancer 6 must be not greater than
20d.sub.max, where d.sub.max is a maximum cross-sectional
dimension of the anode-enhancer 6. It is desirable that
said shield 8 have a flat or concave surface at the side
of the working end of the anode-enhancer 6 (FIGS. 5 and
6).

[0172] The method for impact compression a substance
using the described device usually includes:

[0173] a) connecting the current-conducting rod 4 of the
aforesaid plasma cathode to the non-consumable
current-conducting rod 3;

[0174] b) producing a set of replaceable axisymmetric
anodes-enhancers 6 preferably having their working ends
rounded in one of the following variants:

[0175] either in the form of integral pieces of the
material to be compressed by impact (for transmutation or
any other nuclear transformation),

[0176] or in the form of preferably one-layer shells
wherein targets 7 are tightly inserted, said targets being
made of the material (preliminarily encapsulated, as
required) to be compressed by impact (for transmutation or
any other nuclear transformation);

[0177] c) (optionally) fitting at least some of the
anodes-enhancers 6 with current-conducting shields 8 made
of copper, lead, niobium, tantalum etc.;

[0178] d) placing each next anode-enhancer 6 in the
vacuum chamber of the RVD housing 1 practically on the
same geometric axis with the plasma cathode 4, 5;

[0179] e) adjusting the gap between the working ends of
the dielectric end element 5 of the plasma cathode and the
anode-enhancer 6 in such a way that the center of
curvature of the working surface of the anode-enhancer 6
is located inside the focal space of the collectively
self-focussing electron beam at a pulse discharge of the
power source via the RVD;

[0180] f) closing the vacuum chamber by fitting the end
dielectric cover 2 on a flange of the strong gas-tight
current-conducting housing 1 of the RVD;

[0181] g) vacuuming the chamber in the RVD housing 1,
which is carried out:

[0182] at least twice prior to the first `shot` upon the
target (pumping out the air first and then at least once
blowing down the chamber with clean dry nitrogen and
re-vacuuming to the residual pressure of gases not greater
than 0.1 Pa), and

[0183] at least once prior to each next `shot`, if the
residual pressure exceeds said value;

[0184] h) connecting an external high-voltage power
source of the RVD to a power network via the input
transformer 9 and storing the electric energy required for
an experiment in the LC-circuit 10;

[0185] i) discharging the LC-circuit 10 via the unit 11
for plasma interruption of the current pulse, the
non-consumable axisymmetric current-conducting rod 3, the
replaceable current-conducting rod 4 and the dielectric
end element 5 on the RVD anode-enhancer 6 with generation
of an electron beam having the electron energy not less
than 0.2 MeV, current density not less than 10.sup.6
A/cm.sup.2 (and preferably not more than 10.sup.8
A/cm.sup.2, and more preferably not more than 10.sup.7
A/cm.sup.2) and duration not greater than 100 ns (and
preferably not more than 50 ns);

[0186] j) removing of the products obtained after the
compression of a portion of the target substance to a
superdense state from the vacuum chamber of the RVD
housing 1 and studying these products by the commonly used
techniques.

[0187] The experimental targets were intended to:

[0188] demonstrate the transmutation effect as a result
of the impact compression of a substance to a superdense
state (integral anodes-enhancers 6 in accordance with FIG.
5); and

[0189] evaluate the possibility of radioactive materials
deactivation (hollow-body anode-enhancers 6 with inserted
target 7 according to FIGS. 1 and 6). As mentioned above,
such target 7 must be inserted into the anode-enhancer 6
providing the maximum acoustic transparency of their
junction contact, and the curvature centers of the working
surfaces of the both said components must coincide
practically.

[0190] The integral anodes-enhancers 6 had average radius
of curvature of the working ends in the range of 0.2 to
0.5 mm, as a rule. They were made, particularly, of
chemically pure metals, such as copper, tantalum and lead.
Such anodes-enhancers 6 can be stored outdoors. An oxide
film that appears on the surface (especially of copper and
lead) does not prevent and, according to some
observations, even enhances their use in accordance with
the above-mentioned purposes.

[0191] The inserted targets 7 had a shape of pellets made
of available Co.sup.60 isotope and artificial mixtures of
Co.sup.56 and Co.sup.58 produced by irradiation of natural
nickel on U-120 cyclotron in Nuclear Research Institute of
National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

[0192] The use of such targets required additional shells
(not shown) made of polycaprolactam (capron) that are
mounted inside the RVD vacuum chambers. These shells
enveloped both RVD electrodes and reduced significantly
the risk of the radioactive cobalt precipitation on the
walls of the housing 1 and the RVD cover 2.

[0193] The initial radioactivity values and those
attained after transmutation of utilized cobalt isotopes
were controlled by ordinary germanium-lithium gamma-ray
detectors.

[0194] More than thousand of adjustment experiments had
been carried out prior to beginning of the operational
experiments on impact compression of a substance to a
superdense state. The results of adjustment experiments
helped to select and more exactly define (taken into
account the dimensions of parts 4,5 of the plasma cathode
and anode-enhancer 6, and specific parameters of the
charge) the width of the gap between the RVD electrodes in
order to provide hitting of the target curvature centers
into the focal space of the RVD electron beam.

[0195] The operational experiments were carried out in
series. Their number varied in different series and ranged
from 50 (at transmutation of radioactive cobalt) to
several hundreds. All the experiments had a through
numbering.

[0196] The initial data on the used targets, discharge
parameters and obtained results were recorded in logbooks
under sequential numbers.

[0197] The shape of voltage and current pulses in the gap
between the RVD electrodes and actual duration of the
electron beam were checked with current and voltage
oscillograms, typical examples are shown in FIG. 7. These
and many other oscillograms demonstrate that the duration
of the electron beam does not exceed 100 ns.

[0198] It is important to note that the electron beam
current (despite a sharp voltage drop on the RVD plasma
cathode) only slightly decreases as compared to the peak
value. This proves the efficiency of usage of the plasma
cathodes 4,5.

[0199] After statistical processing of the results of the
adjustment experiments with regard to the controlled
parameters of the electron beam generation process
approximate dimensions for the electrodes gap and
approximate values of the focal space volume were
determined (see Table 1).

1TABLE 1 Dependence of the gap between the electrodes and
the focal space volume on the rest of the parameters of
the electron beam generation process Mean Dimensions of
the Dimensions of the Gap energy of dielectric element of
working end of the between Focal beam the plasma cathode,
anode-enhancer the space electrons, mm Curvature Area,
electrodes, volume, MeV Diameter Length radius, mm
mm.sup.2 mm mm.sup.3 0.2 4.0-6.0 5.0 0.25 0.75 2.0-3.0
0.02 0.5 16.0-24.0 8.75 0.45 2.4 7.0-10.5 0.12 1.0
45.0-67.0 9.5 0.73 6.7 36.5-55.0 about 0.5 1.5 80.0-120.0
15.25 about 1.0 about 12.3 .gtoreq.59 about 1.3

[0200] Following these limits of the gap between the RVD
electrodes in the operational experiments ensured:

[0201] First, hit of the curvature centers of the working
surfaces of the integral anodes-enhancers 6 (and in case
of using targets 7, hit of the curvature centers of their
surfaces too) into the focal space of the collectively
self-focussing electron beam and

[0202] Second, reveal of the effect of transmutation
after each pulsed discharge of the RVD power source.

[0203] Moreover, following the parameters listed in Table
1, the current density on the surface of the working end
of the anode-enhancer 6 was possible to establish within
the range of 10.sup.6 A/cm.sup.2 to 10.sup.8 A/cm.sup.2.
For the most part of impact compression experiments, this
parameter was maintained within the range of 10.sup.6
A/cm.sup.2 to 10.sup.7 A/cm.sup.2.

[0204] The results of all the operational experiments
looked rather uniform, namely:

[0205] Products of transmutation in the form of a wide
spectrum of practically stable isotopes of various (both
light and heavy, and even super-heavy transuranides)
chemical elements appeared from a portion (at the average
about 30% by weight) of the initial material;

[0206] These products and chemically unchanged residues
of integral anodes-enhancers 6 (and inserted targets 7)
flew apart from the volume of impact compression primarily
in the direction opposite to the plasma cathode and
precipitated as drop-shaped aggregates of various forms
and dimensions on the walls of the vacuum chamber of the
RVD and/or on the shields 8, if applicable.

[0207] Said products were collected for study.

[0208] Electron microprobe-analyzers REMMA-102, Tesla and
Cameca were used for detecting of separated aggregates of
transmutation products and determination of their position
on the surface (on shields 8 in particular) with the
purpose of subsequent study of the elemental and isotopic
composition (and in certain cases, for registration of the
shape of such aggregates). Jamp10S model of an Auger
spectrometer by JEOL, time-of-flight pulsed laser
mass-spectrometer designed by Kiev's National T. G.
Shevchenko University (Ukraine), ionic microprobe-analyzer
CAMECA's IMS-4f and FINNIGAN's highly sensitive
mass-spectrometer VG9000 were used for the study of the
elemental and isotopic composition of said products.

[0209] As a result in all the operational experiments on
impact compression of integral anodes-enhancers 6 to a
superdense state, an essential discrepancy was observed
between their initial composition (practically one
chemical element for all targets in each series) and
elemental and isotopic composition of the transmutation
products.

[0210] In order to make certain of that, let's observe
FIGS. 8 to 13 wherein vertical dash lines indicate the
charge of an initial chemical element's nucleus.

[0211] It should be noted, that the isotopes of chemical
elements which were not present in the initial material of
the target but appeared in the products of transmutation
are indicated in FIGS. 8, 10 and 12:

[0212] by light circles according to their concentration
in said products of pycnonuclear processes,

[0213] by black squares according to their concentration
in the Earth's crust.

[0214] Nuclei charges and percentage by weight of these
isotopes are easy to determine using the numerical data on
the X and Y axis respectively.

[0215] With light triangles and adjacent chemical
symbols, FIGS. 9, 11 and 13 show relative deviations Y of
concentrations (% by weight) of certain chemical elements
from natural abundance ratio that were calculated by
formula: 1 A - B A + B = Y , where :

[0216] A is a ratio of a certain isotope of a certain
chemical element in the products of transmutation, and

[0217] B is a ratio of the same isotope of the same
chemical element in the Earth's crust.

[0218] As it's clearly seen from FIGS. 8, 10 and 12, in
the process of transmutation of initial copper, tantalum
and lead appears a wide spectrum of isotopes of various
chemical elements with smaller and greater Z nuclear
charges in comparison to the nuclear charge of parent
element.

[0219] However, the greater is the nuclear charge of the
target material the higher is the probability of
production of stable transuranides (including those not
identified yet) with atomic mass of greater than 250
atomic mass units (and in some to be checked cases, up to
600 amu and greater).

[0220] The presence of atoms having such masses was
detected at first by the method of ion mass spectrometry
and then was proved by well known methods of Rutherford
alpha and proton back-scattering.

[0221] Moreover, FIGS. 9, 11 and 13 clearly show that
concentrations of substantial portion of chemical elements
in transmutation products statistically reliably exceed
(more than in three times and some elements in 5-10 and
more times) their normal concentrations in the Earth's
crust (see areas marked out with dark colour within the
range of Y values from 0.5 to 1.0). This obviously proves
the artificial origin of such products of pycnonuclear
processes.

[0222] As for changes in elemental and isotopic
composition, similar results were obtained also in
experiments with targets of radioactive cobalt. However,
in these cases the main attention was paid to reduction in
radioactivity in products of the target spread due to
transmutation of radioactive nuclei of cobalt into
non-radioactive isotopes of other chemical elements, in
those part of the target which was in the focal space.

[0223] This reduction essentially varied in separate
samples, that can be explained by difference in density of
acoustic contact between the inner walls of cavities in
anodes-enhancers and the material of inserted targets 7
(see data from a log-book in Table 2).

2TABLE 2 Radioactivity reduction in the products of
cobalt targets spread Reduction in Reduction in Reduction
Sample gamma- Sample gamma- Sample in gamma- number
activity, % number activity, % number activity, % 2397
47.6 2479 2.2 2588 46.5 2398 10.7 2481 22.8 2600 33.3 2425
21.6 2534 29.5 2769 28.9 2426 17.0 2558 22.9 2770 36.4

[0224] Thus, sample No. 2479 was deactivated only by 2.2%
whereas sample No. 2397 and No. 2588 lost more than 45% of
their activity in the result of transmutation.

[0225] Further, as it was definitely established, the
distribution of isotopes in conglomerates of atoms of each
chemical element detected in products of pycnonuclear
processes is essentially differed from the distribution of
the same isotopes in the Earth's crust.

[0226] The brightest example of such drastic discrepancy
is the difference between the normal distribution of
isotopes of nickel in natural samples (FIG. 14) and in two
aggregates of nickel atoms produced by transmutation of
copper targets (FIGS. 15 and 16). Thus, the content of
Ni.sup.58 isotope is up to 70% in the mass of natural
nickel, while the proportion of Ni.sup.58 in products of
copper transmutation (with Cu.sup.63 isotope dominating in
the target) exceeds 10%. Similarly, content of Ni.sup.60
isotope essentially (usually twice) decreased whereas
content of Ni.sup.62 sharply increased.

[0227] And at last, a bright evidence of impact
compression of a substance to a superdense state by the
method according to the invention is an ejection from the
RVD focal space rather big bodies whose shape visually
proves the existence of necessary conditions for a
short-term appearance of at least electron-nuclear and,
even, electron-nucleonic plasma in said space.

[0228] Thus, on FIG. 17, presented essentially iron
hemisphere comprising 93% by weight Fe with admixtures of
silicon and copper isotopes on the background of the
copper shield.

[0229] Obviously, this hemisphere is a fraction of a
spherical body formed from a substantial part of the
copper anode-enhancer 6 (sample No. 4908 according to the
log-book of the applicant). It has an outer diameter about
95 .mu.m and a practically concentric spherical cavity
with a diameter of about 35 .mu.m. The roughness on the
major portion of the ring end of the hemisphere can be
explained by the crack of the initial sphere.

[0230] It is easy to assume that in the experiment with
the sample No. 4908, the center of the focal space of the
electron beam practically coincided with the center of the
target curvature. In this case, soliton-like density
impulse focussed itself in the volume that is represented
as a spherical cavity in the disclosed product.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0231] The device for compressing a substance by impact
may be produced using commercially available components,
and the method according to invention may be a basis for
development and implementation of highly efficient and
environmentally safe technologies for:

[0232] First, synthesis of stable transuranides, which is
greatly important for broadening the knowledge about the
nature;

[0233] Secondly, transmutation of nuclei of known
chemical elements for experimental production of their
stable isotopes and for neutralization of radioactive
materials (including atomic-industry waste) containing
long-lived radioactive isotopes; and

[0234] Third, ICF using chemical elements widely spread
in nature and their compositions as fuel.

---

http://www.springerlink.com/content/2614047n462k3264/

*Technical Physics Letters* 27(8): 671-673 
(August 2001)

Vacuum Electric Discharge Initiated by
Accelerated Nanoparticles

S. V. Adamenko (1, 2), P. A. Bereznyak (1, 2), I. M.
Mikhailovskii (1, 2), V. A. Stratienko (1, 2), N. G.
Tolmachev (1, 2), A. S. Adamenko (1,  2) and T. I.
Mazilova (1, 2)

(1)   Kharkov Physicotechnical Institute,
National Scientific Center, Kharkov, Ukraine; 
(2)   Laboratory of Electrodynamic
Investigations, ENRAN Company, Kiev, Ukraine

Abstract  --- A static breakdown induced by the
impact of particles detached from a point anode in a
strong electric field, corresponding to the athermal field
evaporation threshold, was studied by field ion
microscopy. Under these conditions, the particle size
threshold for the vacuum discharge initiation decreases by
one order of magnitude as compared to the case of flat
electrodes and falls within a nanometer range of the
average radius of bombarding charged particles. The
threshold energies of particles initiating a static
electric discharge also exhibit a significant decrease.

---

http://www.springerlink.com/content/y740700541102508/

*Foundations of Physics Letters* 19 (1 / Feb 2006 ),
pp 21-36

Key words:  neutronization - protonization - Coulomb
interaction - degenerate electron gas - superheavy nuclei
synthesis

V. Adamenko (1)  and V. I. Vysotskii (2)

(1)   Electrodynamics Laboratory Proton-21,,
Kyiv, Ukraine

(2)   Shevchenko Kyiv National University,
Faculty of Radiophysics, Kyiv, Ukraine

Abstract ---  We consider the peculiarities of the
fundamental nuclear transformations running both in the
shell of a heavy star compressed by the strong
gravitational field and during the laboratory
electron-nucleus collapse where the compression occurs at
the expense of the electron-nucleus interaction in a
volume occupied by a degenerate electron gas, define their
analogs, and analyze the differences.

It is shown that the account of relativistic and
nonlinear corrections to the Coulomb electron-nucleus
interaction gives the possibility to realize two
alternative ways for the evolution of the star matter
which depend on both the rate of compression upon the
gravitational collapse and the initial isotope composition
of a star on the stage preceding the collapse.

Upon the relatively slow compression of a heavy star in
the process of gravitational collapse after the attainment
of the threshold electron density, there occur the
stage-by-stage neutronization of nuclei and the formation
of a neutron star with a great concentration of neutrons
and a low concentration of protons and electrons. This
process is characterized by the presence of a bounded
interval of the density of a relativistic degenerate gas
of electrons (the neutronization corridor), in the scope
of which the neutronization runs with a decrease in the
Fermi energy and the release of energy in the form of fast
neutrinos.

At a higher electron density, the process of
protonization becomes energy-gained. In this case, an
increase in both the charge of nuclei and the
concentration of degenerate electrons causes the
continuous increase in the binding energy of electrons and
nuclei which turns out to be more significant than the
increase in the Fermi energy of electrons. The transition
of nuclei through the neutronization corridor into the
protonization zone, which ranges up to the nuclear
density of a substance, is possible only in the case of a
very fast compression of a heavy star. Such a process
leads to the possibility of the formation of proton stars
with a very small residual concentration of neutrons and a
great (nuclear) concentration of protons and electrons.

It is shown that analogous effects can be realized during
the laboratory electron-nucleus collapse. Due to a
microscopic size of the collapse zone, a great velocity of
its formation, and a relatively low rate of
neutronization, the passage of the electron-nucleus
substance through the neutronization corridor weakly
affects its state. In this case, the main mechanism of
transformations is the process of protonization with a
simultaneous increase in the concentration of degenerate
electrons.

Contact Information  S. V. Adamenko

Email: edl@proton21.com.ua

  

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