Evidence for nuclear emissions during acoustic cavitation revisited

Abstract

This paper extends the experimental and numerical results presented previously and addresses the major criticisms raised. In addition, the most recent results are discussed. In acoustic cavitation experiments with chilled (ɛ0 °C) deuterated acetone (C3D6O), the production of tritium and 2.45 MeV neutrons [which are characteristic of deuterium-deuterium (D-D) fusion] was observed during vapour bubble implosions in an acoustic pressure field. Similar experiments with deuterated acetone at room temperature (ɛ20 °C) and control experiments with normal acetone (C3H6O), at both 0 and 20 °C, showed no statistically significant increases in either tritium level or neutron emissions. Numerical simulations of the processes that account for the shock waves generated in the liquid and within the collapsing bubbles supported these experimental observations and showed that high densities and temperatures (° 108 K) may be achieved during bubble cloud implosions, yielding the conditions required for D-D nuclear fusion reactions. The present paper treats the bubble fusion experiments and theoretical results in greater detail than was possible in the previous publications, contains some refinements, addresses some important questions raised by reviewers and critics and discusses possible applications of this interesting phenomenon.

Confirmatory experiments for nuclear emissions during acoustic cavitation

“…Notably, for the other three remaining 6 h tests with C 3 D 6 O large bubble cluster implosions were present not comet-like bubble streams. Therefore, it appears that small-dimension collapsing cavitation bubbles in a comet-like configuration are not conducive for generating intense-enough nuclear fusion conditions and is in line with proposed theory (Nigmatulin et al, 2004).…”

“…Clearly, bubble cluster shape and form can change in a complex manner if the drive amplitude or if the pressure amplitude of the test chamber changes. It has been reported (Nigmatulin et al, 2004;Taleyarkhan et al, 2004b) that spherical bubble collapse can lead to significantly more intensified implosions than other configurations involving aspherical collapses of bubbles. Therefore, scoping efforts were made to image the evolution of bubble clusters (using a 5000 fps camera) and relate the behavior with shock trace magnitudes to develop possible insights into the complexities involved.…”

“…Butt). to the generation of light flashes attributed to sonoluminescence and involves energy focusing of ∼10 11 (Crum and Matula, 1997;Camara et al, 2004). The possibility of using the phenomenon of sonoluminescence for attaining thermonuclear fusion in collapsing gas-vapor cavities has been predicted theoretically as a possibility if appropriate techniques and methodologies were discovered and developed to lead to intenseenough compressions and heating (Moss et al, 1996;Nigmatulin et al, 2004;Taleyarkhan et al, 2004b). Taleyarkhan et al (2002Taleyarkhan et al ( , 2004a provided experimental evidence of such nuclear emissions using the novel experimental technique and approaches they developed.…”

Piezonuclear neutrons

“…The processes that go on during the collapse and the collapse itself are quite complex and there is a good deal of research going on in order to clarify their physical and chemical aspects. Some of the studies that have been carried on, have the target to exploit cavitation as the mean to induce deuterium-deuterium nuclear fusion in a liquid matrix [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. It is known as well that mechanical waves like ultrasounds and shockwaves can induce or better catalyse nuclear reactions in radioactive elements, fission in fissile elements with emission of ionising and neutron radiation too low for the occurring transmutations or with no emission at all [13][14][15][16][17].…”

“…All of these experiments succeeded in detecting neutrons. We would like to stress that all our experimental equipment and our measurements, when devoted to prove neutron emission, never involved any radioactive source or unstable nuclide unlike other experiments [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12].…”