Randell L. Mills

Comparison of excessive Balmer /spl alpha/ line broadening of inductively and capacitively coupled RF, microwave, and glow-discharge hydrogen plasmas with certain catalysts

From the width of the 656.3-nm Balmer /spl alpha/ line emitted from inductively and capacitively coupled radio frequency (RF), microwave, and glow-discharge plasmas, it was found that inductively coupled RF helium-hydrogen and argon-hydrogen plasmas showed extraordinary broadening corresponding to an average hydrogen atom energy of 250-310 and 180-230 eV, respectively, compared to 30-40 and 50-60 eV, respectively, for the corresponding capacitively coupled plasmas. Microwave helium-hydrogen and argon-hydrogen plasmas showed significant broadening corresponding to an average hydrogen atom energy of 180-210 and 110-130 eV, respectively. The corresponding results from the glow-discharge plasmas were 33-38 and 30-35 eV, respectively, compared to /spl ap/ 4 eV for plasmas of pure hydrogen, neon-hydrogen, and xenon-hydrogen maintained in any of the sources. Similarly, the average electron temperatures T/sub e/ for helium-hydrogen and argon-hydrogen inductively coupled RF and microwave plasmas were high (43 200 /spl plusmn/ 5% K, 18 600 /spl plusmn/ 5% K, 30 500 /spl plusmn/ 5% K, and 13 700 /spl plusmn/ 5% K, respectively); compared to 9300 /spl plusmn/ 5% K, 7300 /spl plusmn/ 5% K, 8000 /spl plusmn/ 5% K, and 6700 /spl plusmn/ 5% K for the corresponding plasmas of xenon-hydrogen and hydrogen alone, respectively. Stark broadening or acceleration of charged species due to high electric fields cannot explain the inductively coupled RF and microwave results since the electron density was low and no high field was present. Rather, a resonant energy transfer mechanism is proposed.

CW H I laser based on a stationary inverted Lyman population formed from incandescently heated hydrogen gas with certain Group I catalysts

Each of the ionization of Rb/sup +/ and cesium and an electron transfer between two K/sup +/ ions (K/sup +//K/sup +/) provide a reaction with a net enthalpy of an integer multiple of the potential energy of atomic hydrogen, 27.2 eV. The corresponding Group I nitrates provide these reactants as volatilized ions directly or as atoms by undergoing decomposition or reduction to the corresponding metal. The presence of each of the reactants identified as providing an enthalpy of reaction of an integer of that of the potential energy of atomic hydrogen (m/spl middot/27.2 eV) formed a low applied temperature, extremely low-voltage plasma called a resonance transfer (RT)-plasma having strong vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) emission. In contrast, magnesium and aluminum atoms or ions do not ionize at integer multiples of the potential energy of atomic hydrogen. Mg(NO/sub 3/)/sub 2/ or Al(NO/sub 3/)/sub 3/ did not form a plasma and caused no emission. For further characterization, we recorded the width of the 6563 /spl Aring/ Balmer /spl alpha/ line on light emitted from RT-plasmas. Significant line broadening of 18, 12, and 12 eV was observed from an RT-plasma of hydrogen with KNO/sub 3/, RbNO/sub 3/, and CsNO/sub 3/, respectively, compared to 3 eV from a hydrogen microwave plasma. These results could not be explained by Stark or thermal broadening or electric field acceleration of charged species since the measured field of the incandescent heater was extremely weak, 1 V/cm, corresponding to a broadening of much less than 1 eV. Rather the source of the excessive line broadening is consistent with that of the observed VUV emission, an energetic reaction caused by a resonance energy transfer between hydrogen atoms and K/sup +//K/sup +/, Rb/sup +/, and cesium, which serve as catalysts. KNO/sub 3/ and RbNO/sub 3/ formed the most intense plasma. Remarkably, a stationary inverted Lyman population was observed in the case of an RT-plasma formed with potassium and rubidium catalysts. These catalytic reactions may pump a continuous wave HI laser as predicted by laser equations and a collisional radiative model used to determine that the observed overpopulation was above threshold.

Stationary inverted Lyman population formed from incandescently heated hydrogen gas with certain catalysts

A new chemically generated plasma source is reported. The presence of gaseous Rb+ or K+ ions with thermally dissociated hydrogen formed a low applied temperature, extremely low voltage plasma called a resonant transfer or rt-plasma having strong vacuum ultraviolet emission. We propose an energetic catalytic reaction involving a resonant energy transfer between hydrogen atoms and Rb+ or 2K+ since Rb+ to Rb2+, 2K+ to K + K2+, and K to K3+ each provide a reaction with a net enthalpy equal to the potential energy of atomic hydrogen. Remarkably, a stationary inverted Lyman population was observed; thus, these catalytic reactions may pump a cw HI laser as predicted by a collisional radiative model used to determine that the observed overpopulation was above threshold.

Substantial Doppler broadening of atomic-hydrogen lines in dc and capacitively coupled RF plasmas

The mechanism of extraordinary broadening of the Balmer lines of hydrogen admixed with noble gases in a dc glow discharge and a capacitively coupled rf discharge is studied over a wide range of pressure and gas compositions to test the field acceleration model (Cvetanovic et al 2005 J. Appl. Phys. 97 033302). High-resolution optical emission spectroscopy is performed parallel to the electrode axis (end-on) and perpendicular to the electrode axis (side-on) along with Langmuir probe measurements of plasma density and electron temperature for the parallel plate rf capacitive discharge case. Sharp pin-shaped tungsten dc electrodes are also used to minimize the backscattering of ions that are theorized by a field acceleration model to be heated in the sheath region. An excessively broad and symmetric (Gaussian) Balmer emission line corresponding to 20?60?eV of hydrogen atom energy is observed in Ar/H2 and He/H2 plasmas when compared with the majority species atom temperatures. Energy is transferred selectively to hydrogen atoms whereas the atoms of admixed He and Ar gases remain cold (<0.5?eV). Since there is neither a preferred ion nor atom in the field acceleration model, one should also observe enhanced temperature hydrogen and helium atoms in He/H2 discharges where the atomic mass is more comparable (4?:?1).

Spectroscopic observation of helium-ion- and hydrogen-catalyzed hydrino transitions

Four predictions of Mills’ Grand Unified Theory of Classical Physics (GUTCP) regarding atomic hydrogen undergoing a catalytic reaction with certain atomized elements and ions which resonantly, nonradiatively accept integer multiples of the potential energy of atomic hydrogen, m · 27.2 eV wherein m is an integer, have been confirmed experimentally. Specifically, a catalyst comprises a chemical or physical process with an enthalpy change equal to an integer multiple m of the potential energy of atomic hydrogen, 27.2 eV. For He+m = 2, due to its ionization reaction to He2+, and two H atoms formed from H2 by collision with a third, hot H can also act as a catalyst with m = 2 for this third H. The product is H(1/p), fractional Rydberg states of atomic hydrogen called “hydrino atoms” wherein n = 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, …, 1/p(p≤137 is an integer) replaces the well-known parameter n = integer in the Rydberg equation for hydrogen excited states. The predictions for the hydrino reaction of (1) pumping of the catalyst excited states, (2) characteristic EUV continuum radiation, (3) fast H, and (4) hydrino products were observed in multiple catalyst-hydrogen plasma systems.

Direct plasmadynamic conversion of plasma thermal power to electricity

The generation of electrical energy using direct plasmadynamic conversion (PDC) is studied experimentally for small-scale, chemically-assisted plasmas (CA-plasma) for the first time. Glow discharge and microwave-generated plasma sources are operated at power levels on the order of a few to 50 W in the discharge case and up to 12.83 W/cm/sup 3/ in the microwave case. Extracted power approaching 1/4 W has been achieved as a demonstration. It is envisioned that such a system may be readily scaled to a few hundred Watts to several tens of kilowatts output power for microdistributed commercial applications (e.g., household, automotive, light industry, and space based power). Three-quarter inch long by 0.040-in diameter cylindrical PDC electrodes have been tested in a 10-50 W direct current, glow discharge plasma device with He or Ar as the working gas at 0.3-3.0 torr. The PDC anode was magnetized in the range of 0-700 G with a 1.5-in water cooled Helmholtz electromagnet. Open circuit voltages up to 6.5 V were obtained across the PDC electrodes at 1 torr He and 350-G field. The collector voltage was shown to be a function of applied magnetic field strength B and peaking at about 300 G. A variety of resistive loads were connected across the PDC electrodes, extracting continuous electrical power up to 0.44 mW. The power/load curve peaks at 0.44 mW for a 20 k/spl Omega/ load indicating the impedance matching condition with the plasma source. The most severe limitation to collector output performance is shown to be plasma conductivity. Collector power drops sharply with increasing neutral gas fill pressure in the glow discharge chamber at constant discharge current indicating that electron collisions with neutral gas atoms are responsible for the reduction in conductivity. Scale-up to higher power has been achieved with the use of a microwave plasma generator. A 0.75-in long by 0.094-in diameter PDC anode was magnetized to /spl sim/140 G resulting in open circuit PDC voltages in excess of 11.5 V for He plasmas at /spl sim/0.75-1 torr and 50 sccm flow. Due to higher conductivity, load matching was now obtained at /spl sim/600 /spl Omega/. Langmuir probe results indicate good agreement between the conductivity change and the electron to neutral density ratio scale-up. For this source and electrode configuration, PDC power as high as /spl sim/200 mW was demonstrated in He at 0.75 torr for a microwave input power density of /spl sim/8.55 W/cm/sup 3/. Considering an electron mean-free path as the scale for collector probe influence in the plasma, the peak extracted power density is /spl sim/1.61 W/cm/sup 3/, corresponding to a volumetric conversion efficiency of /spl sim/18.8%.

Stationary inverted Lyman populations and free-free and bound-free emission of lower-energy state hydride ion formed by an exothermic catalytic reaction of atomic hydrogen and certain group I catalysts

Rb+ to Rb2+ and 2K+ to K + K2+ each provide a reaction with a net enthalpy equal to the potential energy of atomic hydrogen. The presence of these gaseous ions with thermally dissociated hydrogen formed a plasma having strong VUV emission with a stationary inverted Lyman population. Significant Balmer α line broadening of 18 and 9 eV was observed from a rt-plasma of hydrogen with KNO3, and RbNO3, respectively, compared to 3 eV from a hydrogen microwave plasma. The reaction was exothermic since excess power of about 20 mW/cc was measured by Calvet calorimetry. We propose an energetic catalytic reaction involving a resonance energy transfer between hydrogen atoms and Rb+ or 2K+ to form a very stable novel hydride ion. Its predicted binding energy of 3.0471 eV with the fine structure was observed at 4071 Å, and its predicted bound-free hyperfine structure lines matched those observed for about 40 lines to within.01 percent. Characteristic emission from each catalyst was observed. This catalytic reaction may pump a CW HI laser.