From: johncobb@ut-emx.cc.utexas.edu (John W. Cobb)
Newsgroups: sci.physics.fusion
Subject: Re: FASER theory
Date: 6 Sep 92 00:31:12 GMT
Reply-To: johncobb@ut-emx.cc.utexas.edu (John W. Cobb)
Organization: The University of Texas at Austin

In article <65103@cup.portal.com>, pls@cup.portal.com (Paul L Schauble) writes:
|> ...
|>        Fusion Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
|>
|>
|>            Copyright (C) June 4, 1989  by David H. Mitchellp


|>It is the author's contention that the evolution of knowledge from standing
|>waves that led to the MASER, and later LASER, theories may point the way to
|>an understanding of recent breakthroughs and also indicate new areas of re-
|>search.

While I find little in such ideas to resuurect Cold Fusion or Ball Lightening,
there is something to be gained from examining stimulated emission in this
vein. This however is not new. A few years ago there was some discussion about
the generation of a Gamma Ray Laser from the temporary population inversion
caused from molecular muon-catalysed fusion. Unfortunately I have not
followed this work recently and I can't give a reference at this time.

|> Indeed, it is clear that sightings
|>would at first appear to a trained scientific observer as illusions, fab-
|>rications or outright mystical aberrations. However, the explanation of
|>ball lightning as a naturally occurring form of fusion explains the phen-
|>omenon in a manner consistent with the apparently incredible observations.
|>Also, the decrease in sightings of unusual phenomenon in general is us-
|>ually attributed to better ability to rule out false claims. Hence, any
|>item that appears to be reported less in recent years is assumed to be
|>folklore and/or false claims. In the case of ball lightning, this may
|>not be true.

The problem with ball lightning seems to be that it cannot be reproduced
at will. Now I'm not going to sit here and proclaim that it is all a
figment of people's imagination, but until you can show me how to 
repeatedly and reliably create these critters, I be darned if I am
going to devote my professional life to studying such a chimera. The
same criticism applies to cold fusion. Unless I find some reproducible
results, or I have some insight that gives me confidence, I will use my
talents more productively elsewhere. If you want to do otherwise, fine,
but don't expect to receive a lot of attention until something
reproducible can be found.

|>The fact that high temperature containment structures where
|>near breakeven fusion energy is occurring indicates that controlled fusion
|>is possible.
|>
But CTR reserach has nothing to do with coherent radiation. IT is an
approximately steady state phenomenon.

|> A properly tuned medium will then resonate, producing more
|>fusion. In a metallic medium, low energy photons should be produced, in
|>either the microwave or infra-red (heat) range; experimental evidence for
|>this is the Pons/Fleischman experiment. Visible light would occur in an
|>intermittent medium temperature plasma; evidence for this is the orange/
|>yellow color of ball lightning. Very high energy would occur in a high
|>temperature fusion explosion (gamma rays). In simple terms, the resonant
|>effect known in lasers is the key to high energy output in fusion. FASER 
|>theory is therefore the theory that meaningful fusion occurs when energy
|>is pumped into a resonant medium for the materials to be fused. If the
|>wavelengths of the resonant medium and the material to be fused are pro-
|>perly balanced, then energy injection will create a resonant state that
|>results in amplification of the fusion effect.

This idea is basically flawed. Fusion is an energy release process, stimulated
emission is not. In fusion, you shuffle the nuclear structure 
(i.e. D + T -> 4He + N, etc.) and live off of the margin of energy released,
in LASERS, MASERS, X-LASERS, etc. there is no net energy gain. You pay
an energy price by putting up a population inversion. Then you regain that
energy in coherent radiation by the LASing phenomenon. I.E. you trade
60 Hz Wall power for coherent 3 micron radiation. However, nobody every
runs a power plant and sells electricity to the grid from a LASER power plant.
It's a zero sum game in terms of energy.

But don't let me dampen your enthusiasm. In my mind there are few crimes
more heinous than stomping out enthusiastic imagination with a loud
humbug, just don't bet the farm on this idea. I mean the ideas that
are unleashed when one begins to understand waves are really neat. Let
me suggest Crawford's textbook on waves (Titleed <Waves>). It is in the
Berkeley Series. He has a lot of neat ideas here about waves (I don't
know, I may be insulting your level of expertise, if so, happy polly-lodges).

-john w. cobb
jwc@fusion.ph.utexas.edu
Newsgroups: sci.physics.fusion