Measurements in the Gran Sasso Laboratory: Evidence for nuclear effects in electrolysis with Pd/Ti and in different tests with deuterated high temperature superconductors

Abstract

Several experiments were performed at the INFN Underground Gran Sasso Laboratory (Italy) in order to detect nuclear signals, if any, coming from deuterated materials in the framework of so called ‘‘Cold Fusion.’’ We followed three, quite different, lines of experimental researches.In the first set of experiments we used electrolytic solutions of heavy water and 0.1 M LiOH with some addition of gaseous CO2, using as cathode a rod of pure Pd or Ti alloys and as anode a Pt net. We detected several intense bursts of gamma rays, lasting up to 15 minutes of duration time, with energy less than 300 KeV.In the second set of experiments we used pellets of sintered High Temperature Superconductors (HTSC) that underwent deuteration by high pressure (∼30 Bar) and temperature (∼370 K) gas loading procedure. The deuterated samples were several times cycled down to liquid nitrogen temperature and we detected by two independent 3He moderated neutron detectors (1.2% total efficiency), sporadic emission of signals mainly during these thermal cycles.Later on similar tests were performed independently by S. E. Jones and collaborators (Provo Univ., Utah) in a deep underground mine and a very intense and short neutron burst was detected by 16 independent 3He moderated neutron detectors (32% efficiency).In the third set of experiments some additional tests were performed using a low activity Am‐Be neutron source, in order to study possible phenomena of enhanced neutron emission by radiation stimulation in these HTSC deuterated compounds. We detected excess counts of 2 static standard deviations, pointing to increased D‐D cross section due to the effect of ceramic lattice.Several experiments were performed at the INFN Underground Gran Sasso Laboratory (Italy) in order to detect nuclear signals, if any, coming from deuterated materials in the framework of so called ‘‘Cold Fusion.’’ We followed three, quite different, lines of experimental researches.In the first set of experiments we used electrolytic solutions of heavy water and 0.1 M LiOH with some addition of gaseous CO2, using as cathode a rod of pure Pd or Ti alloys and as anode a Pt net. We detected several intense bursts of gamma rays, lasting up to 15 minutes of duration time, with energy less than 300 KeV.In the second set of experiments we used pellets of sintered High Temperature Superconductors (HTSC) that underwent deuteration by high pressure (∼30 Bar) and temperature (∼370 K) gas loading procedure. The deuterated samples were several times cycled down to liquid nitrogen temperature and we detected by two independent 3He moderated neutron detectors (1.2% total efficiency), sporadic emission of signals mainly d...