Patent Number: H00004073
Section: claims

1. Apparatus for production of an electrical voltage, the apparatus comprising: a hollow, closed electrically conducting sphere of inner radius substantially greater than one meter, the sphere having a spherical region at the sphere center removed to allow positioning of a laser fusion target at the sphere center, and the sphere wall material having an associated electron work function of substantially 1.6 eV;  one or more thin, electrically conducting anode plates positioned in the sphere interior adjacent to and spaced apart from and substantially parallel to the adjacent sphere wall, each such plate having an associated electron work function that is &gt;&gt;1.6 eV;  an impedance or other electrical load connecting each anode plate and the adjacent sphere wall;  an inert gas, capable of forming excimers and maintained at a pressure of substantially 100 atmospheres, contained in the interior of the hollow sphere;  a fusion target positioned substantially at the center of the sphere; and  a laser beam, focused on the last fusion target.  a hollow, closed container having at least one substantially planar wall containing Li.sup.6 and containing electrically conducting material with an associated electron work function .PHI..sub.c.apprxeq. 1.6-6 eV, with the planar wall serving as a cathode;  a screen anode, positioned in the container interior at a position spaced apart from and substantially parallel to the planar wall, the anode material containing electrically conducting material;  an impedance or other electrical load connecting the cathode and the anode;  an inert gas, capable of forming excimers and maintained at a pressure of substantially 1-30 atmospheres, filling the container interior; and  a source of energetic neutrons of energy substantially 10 MeV or higher, positioned outside the container and adjacent to the planar wall.  further including a second impedance or other electrical load connecting said screen anode and the second cathode.  providing a hollow, closed container having at least one substantially planar wall that contains Li.sup.6 and contains electrically conducting material with an associated electron work function of .PHI..sub.c .apprxeq.1.6-6 eV, with the planar wall being adapted to serve as a cathode;  providing a screen anode in the container interior at a position spaced apart from and substantially parallel to the planar wall, with the screen anode material being a metallic or other electrical conductor;  providing an impedance or other electrical load connecting the planar wall and the screen anode;  providing an inert gas of particles X of He, Ne or Ar, maintained at a pressure of 1-30 atmospheres, in the container interior;  directing a beam of energetic neutrons of energy substantially 10 MeV or higher at the planar wall of the container;  allowing the energetic neutrons to collide with Li.sup.6 particles in the substantially planar wall to produce high energy helium ions by reactions such as n+Li.sup.6 .fwdarw.He.sup.++ +He.sup.++ +(H.sup.3).sup.+ +3e.sup.- ;  allowing the high energy helium ions produced by the n+Li.sup.6 reactions to react with the inert gas particles X to produce ions and excimers and short wavelength radiation of wavelength .lambda..sub.d =c/.nu..sub.d by excimer reactions such as EQU X.sup.+ +2X.fwdarw.X.sub.2 +X, EQU X.sub.2 +e.sup.-.fwdarw.X*+X, EQU X*+2X.fwdarw.X.sub.2 *+X, ##STR2## allowing a portion of the dissociation radiation of wavelength .nu..sub.d to strike the adjacent planar wall and eject photoelectrons of energy substantially 10-20 eV; and  allowing the photoelectrons ejected by the planar wall to move to the screen anode and create an electric potential difference between the planar wall and the screen anode.  providing a hollow, closed sphere of radius substantially greater than one meter, the sphere having a region at the sphere center removed to allow positioning of a laser function target at the sphere center, the sphere material being electrically conducting and having an associated electron work function of substantially 1.6 eV and having wall thickness sufficient to withstand an interior gas pressure of substantially 100 atmospheres, with at least a portion of the sphere wall being adapted to serve as a cathode;  providing one or more electrically conducting anode plates that are optionally thin to electromagnetic radiation at the wavelength .lambda..sub.d, positioned in the sphere interior adjacent to and spaced apart from and substantially parallel to the adjacent sphere wall, each anode plate having an associated electron work function .PHI..sub.a &lt;&lt;1.6 eV;  providing an impedance or other electrical load connecting the anode plate and the adjacent sphere wall;  providing an inert gas of particles X of He or Ne in the sphere interior at a pressure of substantially 100 atmospheres;  providing a laser fusion target substantially at the sphere center;  irradiating the fusion target to produce a plurality of high energy neutrons of energy substantially 10 MeV or higher;  allowing the high energy neutrons to move through and collide with the inert gas particles X to produce ions and excimers and electromagnetic radiation of wavelength substantially .lambda.=.lambda..sub.d =c/.nu..sub.d, where c is the velocity of light, by reactions such as EQU n(fast)+X.fwdarw.n(fast)+X.sup.+ (fast)+e.sup.-, EQU n(fast)+X.fwdarw.n(fast)+X.sup.++(fast)+ 2e.sup.-, EQU X.sup.++(fast)+X.fwdarw.X.sup.++(fast)+X.sup.+ +e.sup.-, EQU X.sup.+ (fast)+X.fwdarw.X.sup.+(fast)+X.sup.+ +e.sup.-, EQU X.sup.++ (fast)+X.fwdarw.X.sup.++(fast)+X.sup.*, EQU X.sup.*+ 2X.fwdarw.X.sub.2.sup.* +X.fwdarw.3X+h.nu..sub.d, EQU X.sup.+ +2X.fwdarw.X.sub.2.sup.+ +X, EQU X.sub.2.sup.+ +e.sup.- .fwdarw.X.sub.2.sup.* .fwdarw.2X+h.nu..sub.d ;  allowing the electromagnetic radiation thus produced to pass through one or more of the anode plates and strike the sphere wall to produce a plurality of photoelectrons; and  allowing the photoelectrons to move from the sphere wall to the anode plate, thus producing an electrical potential difference between cathode and anode plates. 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said inert gas is drawn from the class consisting of He and Ne. 3. Apparatus for production of an electrical voltage and of electromagnetic radiation of wavelength substantially 640 .ANG. and higher, the apparatus comprising: 4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said hollow closed container further includes a second substantially planar wall containing Li.sup.6 and a metal or other electrical conductor with an associated work function .PHI..sub.c .apprxeq.=1.6-6 eV, with the second planar wall also serving as a cathode, with the second planar wall being spaced apart from and substantially parallel to said first planar wall and said screen anode so that said screen anode is positioned between said first planar wall and the second planar wall; and 5. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said inert gas is drawn from a class consisting of He, Ne and Ar. 6. A method for generation of an electrical voltage and of electromagnetic radiation of wavelength substantially 640 .ANG. or higher, the method comprising the steps of: 7. A method for generation of an electrical voltage and for production of electromagnetic radiation of wavelength .lambda..sub.d that is substantially 640 .ANG. or higher, the method comprising the steps of: