Fabio Cardone

Piezonuclear decay of thorium

We show that cavitation of a solution of thorium-228 in water induces its transformation at a rate 10000 times faster than the natural radioactive decay would do. This result agrees with the alteration of the secular equilibrium of thorium-234 obtained by a Russian team via explosion of titanium foils in water and solutions. These evidences further support some preliminary clues for the possibility of piezonuclear reactions (namely nuclear reactions induced by pressure waves) obtained in the last ten years.

Broken Lorentz Invariance and Metric Description of Interactions in a Deformed Minkowski Space

We discuss the possible breakdown of Lorentz invariance—at distances greater than the Planck length—from both the theoretical and the phenomenological point of view. The theoretical tool to deal with such a problem is provided by a “deformation” of the Minkowski metric, with parameters dependent on the energy of the physical system considered. Such a deformed metric realizes, for any interaction, the “solidarity principle” between interactions and spacetime geometry (usually assumed for gravitation), according to which the peculiar features of every interaction determine—locally—its own spacetinie structure. The generalized theory of relativity, based on the locally deformed Minkowski spacetime, is called “deformed special relativity” (DSR). In the first part of the paper, we give the foundations and the basic laws of DSR. In the second part, we analyze some experimental data, which admit an interpretation in terms of the DSR formalism and are, therefore, candidates for displaying a breakdown of the Lorentz symmetry. They are (i) the superluminal propagation of evanescent electromagnetic waves in waveguides, (ii) the meanlife of the KS0, (iii) the Bose-Einstein correlation in pion production and (iv) the comparison of clock rates in the gravitational field of Earth. Such analysis provides us with the explicit forms of the related deformed metrics as functions of the energy, thus putting in evidence, in all four cases (and therefore for all four fundamental interactions), departures from the usual Minkowski metric. This preliminary evidence for a broken Lorentz invariance may be regarded as the signature of possible nonlocal effects involved in the processes examined. Moreover, the corresponding deformed metrics obtained by our analysis provide an effective dynamical description of the interactions (at least in the energy range considered).

A unified view to Cologne and Florence experiments on superluminal photon propagation

Abstract We show that two of the first performed experiments on superluminal photon propagation, namely, the 1992 Cologne experiment on the tunneling of evanescent waves in an undersized waveguide, and the 1993 Florence experiment on the microwave propagation in vacuum between two horn antennas, do admit a common interpretation. Precisely, both experimental devices behave as a high-pass filter. We get this result by two different methods, one based on the Friis law (which yields the efficiency of a transmitting device), and the other on the deformation of the Minkowski space–time. This allows us to set intriguing connections between these two (a priori different) classes of experiments. In particular, in either case the superluminal propagation can be described as a tunneling and is related to evanescent waves.

Piezonuclear neutrons from iron

We report the results of neutron measurements carried out during the application of ultrasounds to bars of iron and steel. Like in our previous similar works with cavitated solutions of iron, neutrons were emitted in bursts and the spectrum of this peculiar emission was measured for the first time. A further and very interesting outcome of these experiments was the unexpected appearance of circular, macroscopical and regular damages on the lateral surface of the bars which was not directly in contact with the sonotrode. The superficial elemental microanalysis on these spots showed some interesting and macroscopic departures of the concentration of chemical elements from that of the undamaged surface, which may suggest that, along with the emission of neutrons, some transmutations occurred as well.

Possible observation of transformation of elements in cavitated water

We carried out two experiments of cavitating water. In the first one, we subjected to cavitation a sample of bidistilled and de-ionized water by means of new type of sonotrode with a very long working time (> 30 minutes). We analyzed the cavitated water by three different procedures (mass atomic absorption, cyclotron spectrometry and mass spectrometry). The analysis was confined to the stable chemical elements. We found relevant changes in the concentrations of the elements in the cavitated sample. In the second experiment, the water was cavitated by a standard sonotrode four times, and the cavitated water after each cavitation run was analyzed by means of a spectrometer in the mass range 210 < M < 270. Evidence was found for an excess of identified masses in the transuranic region. Our results are similar, in many respects, to those obtained by Urutskoev et al. in the experimental study of electric explosion of metal foils in water. A possible connection with the recent Oak Ridge experiment on nuclear fusion induced by cavitation is also hypotesized.

Energy-dependent metric for gravitation from clock-rate experiments"

We carry out a detailed analysis of the data on the comparison of clock rates between a flying clock and a clock at ground, performed by Alley and co-workers at the end of 1970s. The fit to such data is in favor of an energy-dependent metric for gravitation, whose time coefficient is at variance with the standard Einsteinian one in the weak-field approximation. By exploiting the formalism of a deformed Minkowski space–time, with metric coefficients dependent on the energy, we show that a possible lower limit on the propagation speed of gravitational effects is about 1010c, in agreement with a recent analysis by Van Flandern based on the acceleration of binary systems.

EVIDENCE OF ALPHA EMISSION FROM COMPRESSED STEEL BARS

Four cylindrical steel bars of 2 cm diameter and 20 cm height were subjected to compression cycles each of them consisting of a loading phase at fixed stress rate followed by a rapid stress release. Different compression rates were used for the same sample. The area surrounding the loaded samples was monitored in order to check whether ionizing particles were emitted. To this aim, three ZnS(Ag) detectors, a Geiger counter, and some polycarbonate CR39 detectors of alpha particles were used. An 3He proportional detector of neutrons was also used. The whole set of results is discussed and proposed as an evidence of alpha particles emission from the bars during the compression cycles.

DEFORMED SPACE-TIME OF THE PIEZONUCLEAR EMISSIONS

In this paper, an experimental verification of the relationship between the deformed Minkowsky space-time and the piezonuclear emission has been obtained by testing several cylindrical steel bars cyclically loaded in a mechanical fatigue machine. During the compression cycles, α-particles have been both detected by a ZnS(Ag) scintillator and a Geiger counter. Taking into account the theory of the deformed special relativity, we report that the emission only occurs after a specific value of energy is overcome. This value is strictly related to the weak and strong nuclear interactions, which in turn define the regions of Minkowsky and non-Minkowsky space-time.

Are particle and photon tunneling and filling in barriers local or non-local phenomena?

Abstract It is shown that particle and photon tunneling exhibits a non-local behaviour. This is also true for the wave filling in a semiclosed barrier with a dead stopper. In this connection, we discuss and define for the first time the penetration time of such a barrier in the wave-packet approach.

Looking for a Possible Breakdown of Local Lorentz Invariance for Electromagnetic Phenomena: Theory and First Experimental Results

We propose a new electromagnetic test of breakdown of local Lorentz invariance. It is based essentially on the detection of a non-zero force between a circular steady current and a charge, both at rest in the Earth frame. A preliminary experimental run gave a positive evidence for such an effect, which appears strongly dependent on the orientation of the circuit. Possible theoretical interpretations are briefly discussed.