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Elim Ortiz
Nuclear Science and Engineering Institute
University of Missouri - Columbia
Advisor: Dr. Mark Prelas
Abstract
Past experiments loading solid-state target materials such as palladium, tantalum, nickel and rhenium with deuterium were conducted using different methods. On such experiment conducted at The Fusion Research Laboratory at the University of Missouri- Columbia is Cold Fusion Experiments Using Maxwellian Plasma and Sub-Atmospheric Deuterium Gas. This experiment was conducted using Modified Missouri Magnetic Mirror Experiment (M4X), a microwave heated plasma device that can generate numerous plasma conditions.[1] During testing more questions than answers were obtained, apparent neutron and gamma-ray production was observed during the first attempt. The second attempt did not produce gamma-ray, however 200 hours into pressure cycling of the third test a mysterious broad 8.1MeV peak was observed. Experimental data justifies further research.
Currently plasma is generated using Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) chamber capable of recreating plasma conditions as M4X. IEC devices confine plasma in a potential, created by electrostatic fields or a combination of electrostatic and magnetic fields. The fields accelerate ions or electrons towards the center of the chamber were the interactions occur. Palladium targets were attached to a Single Langmuir Probe with floating potential that extends to the center of the I.E.C. Data was collected and stored using Geni and labView® software. In Addition along devices such as Helium-3 (He3) detectors, Sodium Iodine (NaI) detectors, Bonner Sphere and CR-39 were also implemented.
Elim Ortiz is a Graduate Student in the Nuclear Science and Engineering Program at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He did his undergraduate studies at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico.
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