Detection of High Tritium Activity on the Central Titanium Electrode of a Plasma Focus Device

Abstract

A 2-kJ Mather plasma focus device is used to deuterate the top end surface (or tip) of its central titanium electrode to investigate the occurrence of anomalous nuclear reactions in the context of the "cold fusion" phenomenon. The tip of the central titanium electrode is found to develop at least a few tens of microcuries of tritium after several plasma focus discharges. Neither the tritium impurity level in the deuterium gas used in the experiment nor the tritium branch of the d-d reactions that are known to occur in plasma focus devices can account for such activity in the electrode. Anomalous nuclear reactions in the deuterated titanium lattice appear to be the most probable source of this high activity.

Comparison of Pd/D co-deposition and DT neutron generated triple tracks observed in CR-39 detectors

“…However, the Cu electroplating experiments and D 2 O electrolysis experiments done on Ag wire and Ni screen, which gave no tracks in the CR-39, indicate that the deuterium needs to be inside a metal lattice in order for these reactions to occur. This is supported by reports of the emission of neutrons [48][49][50], charged particles [51], and tritium [50] for the Ti/D system. Titanium is another metal that absorbs hydrogen isotopes.…”

Observation of tritium in gas/plasma loaded titanium samples

“…In the present paper we start with a brief review of the early results [13][14] which were primarily of an exploratory nature and follow it up with a description of the more recent experiments 15 involving the direct counting of tritium from TiDx chips. The paper also discusses the observation of MBq levels of tritium on the end face of the central Ti electrode of a deuterium filled Plasma Focus device 16 .…”