Abstract:
QED devices emitting EM radiation are disclosed comprising structures in microscopic cavities. Steady EM radiation is produced from structures essentially permanently separated from the cavity walls, while transient EM radiation occurs by providing means to cause the temporary separation of the structures from the cavity walls. At ambient temperature, the EM radiation from atoms in structures not separated from the cavity walls is emitted at IR frequencies. However, the IR radiation is suppressed from atoms in structures separated from the cavity walls because the cavities have higher EM resonant frequencies. To conserve EM energy, the suppressed IR radiation from the structures is spontaneously emitted and combines at the QED cavity surfaces to collectively produce VUV light, the process called cavity QED induced VUV light. QED devices are disclosed utilizing cavity QED induced VUV light to excite the atoms and molecules on the cavity surfaces to produce VIS light, electrons, and ions.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
         [0001]    Pursuant to 35 USC §119(e), the timely filing of this non-provisional patent application claims the benefit of provisional patent:  
           [0002]    Application No. 60/366,855  
           [0003]    Filing Date: Nov. 26, 2001  
           [0004]    Applicant: Thomas V. Prevenslik  
           [0005]    Title of Invention: Cavity QED induced photoelectric effect  
         FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
         [0006]    Not Applicable.  
         COMPACT DISK REFERENCES  
         [0007]    Not Applicable.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0008]    Quantum electrodynamics (QED) devices are disclosed that spontaneously emit electromagnetic (EM) radiation, and specifically infrared (IR) radiation at ambient temperature from structures within microscopic cavities, the IR radiation combining to produce vacuum ultra violet (VUV) light at the cavity surfaces, the process called cavity QED induced VUV light. QED devices are disclosed that utilize the VUV light to excite cavity surfaces to produce electrons, ions, and visible (VIS) photons. The QED devices include:  
           [0009]    (1) Ultrasonic VIS Lamp  
           [0010]    (2) Microsphere Light Source  
           [0011]    (3) Thermal Laser and Thermoelectric Battery  
           [0012]    (4) Particle Filter  
           [0013]    The preceding QED devices are illustrative examples, and do not in any way limit the generality of cavity QED induced VUV light. The disclosure will permit those skilled in the art to devise many other QED devices utilizing cavity QED induced VUV light.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0014]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0015]    The present invention is related to the field of QED devices emitting EM radiation. Specifically, the invention relates to the field of QED devices that induce the spontaneous emission of IR radiation from atoms in structures within microscopic cavities, the IR radiation finding origin in the thermal kT energy of the atoms at ambient temperature.  
           [0016]    2. Related Art and Present Invention  
           [0017]    Related art to the present invention may be summarized in terms of unexplained observations of VIS photons, electrons, and ions in diverse physical phenomena. These phenomena are commonly regarded as mysterious because they do not occur at high temperature or in the presence of external sources of EM energy where they are readily explained, but rather occur at ambient temperature absent external sources of EM energy. Heretofore, explanations have been proposed to explain these phenomena, but have never included cavity QED induced VUV light. Alternatively, the present invention is the first disclosure that cavity QED induced VUV light is the common source of EM energy in these diverse phenomena by which VIS photons, electrons, and ions are produced.  
         DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART  
         [0018]    Diverse physical phenomena producing VIS photons, electrons, and ions at ambient temperature in related art include sonoluminescence, triboluminescence, flow electrification, static electricity, and atmospheric electricity.  
           [0019]    In the drawings:  
           [0020]    [0020]FIGS. 1 and 2 are an illustration of the QED process of cavity QED induced VUV light operating in the nucleation of bubbles during the acoustic cavitation of liquid water, known in the prior art as sonoluminescence, heretofore an unexplained phenomenon;  
           [0021]    [0021]FIG. 3 is a graph showing the average Planck energy E avg  of an atom represented by a harmonic oscillator as a function of the wavelength λ of thermal kT energy at an ambient temperature of 300 K;  
           [0022]    [0022]FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating the Planck energy produced by cavity QED induced VUV light on the surface of the bubble wall of radius R from sonoluminescence in water;  
           [0023]    FIGS.  5 - 11  illustrate how other physical phenomena in the related art may be explained by the cavity QED induced VUV light disclosed in the present invention. One such phenomenon is triboluminescence. FIGS. 5 and 6 depict the emission of electrons and VIS light from the fracture and crushing of solids. FIG. 7 depicts QED induced VUV light at play in flow electrification, known in prior art by the electrical charge buildup in jet fuel and automobile gasoline. FIG. 8 shows the VUV light producing electrons in static electricity that has been unexplained since the early Greeks. FIGS.  9 - 11  illustrate stages in the QED induced VUV light process that produces the electrical charge in atmospheric electricity. It will become readily apparent to those versed in the art that the finding of QED induced VUV light is a discovery of fundamental importance in physics.  
           [0024]    Sonoluminescence  
           [0025]    Sonoluminescence is the production of coherent VIS light during the acoustic cavitation of water. Currently, sonoluminescence is thought produced by high temperatures caused by compression heating of bubble gases during collapse. However, except for traces of air and other non-condensable gases, the bubble gases are condensable water vapor. Water vapor in 2-phase equilibrium with the bubble walls maintains ambient temperature and vapor pressure as the bubble volume vanishes. Thus, high temperatures in bubble collapse do not occur and some mechanism other than high temperatures is necessary to explain sonoluminescence. The present invention produces sonoluminescence by cavity QED induced VUV light at ambient temperature. Sonoluminescence is prior art and not patentable, but QED devices that rely on cavity QED induced VUV light to produce VIS light are novel and patentable.  
           [0026]    [0026]FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate how cavity QED induced VUV light produces sonoluminescence. FIG. 1 shows liquid water in a state of hydrostatic compression at ambient pressure P. A hypothetical spherical volume of radius Ro is depicted. At ambient temperature T, all water molecules in the continuum emit IR radiation having a long wavelength compared to the size of the hypothetical volume. If the liquid continuum is perturbed to produce a state of hydrostatic tension, a bubble nucleates as shown in FIG. 2. Because of surface tension S, the size of the bubble can not be less than a prescribed limit. Hence, the expanding liquid bubble wall  1  of radius R separates from a tightly bound spherical particle  2  of water molecules at liquid density, the particle depicted by the hypothetical radius R 0 =2S/P. For water having a surface tension S of 0.072 N/m at atmospheric pressure, R 0 ˜1.44 microns. The formation of the spherical particle is almost instantaneous and produces an annular gap  3  between the surfaces of the particle and bubble wall.  
           [0027]    Prior to nucleation, the water molecules in the liquid continuum under hydrostatic compression emit N dof ×½ kT of EM radiation, where k is Boltzman&#39;s constant, T is the absolute temperature, and N dof  is the number of degrees of freedom. For water, N dof =6. At ambient temperature, the EM radiation is emitted from the continuum at IR frequencies. But at the instant the particle separates from the bubble wall, the bubble is a 3-dimensional QED cavity having a high EM resonant frequency that suppresses the low frequency IR radiation from the water molecules in the particle.  
           [0028]    Generally, suppressed radiation by cavity QED occurs as the frequency of the radiation emitted from the atoms within a cavity is lower than the EM resonant frequency of the cavity (for example, see Harouche and Raimond, “Cavity quantum electrodynamics”,  Scientific American , 1993, pp. 54-62). Simply stated, the only EM radiation that can stand in the bubble is required to have a half wavelength ½ λ less than the bubble diameter 2R, where, R is the bubble radius. Thus, the resonant wavelength λ c  is, λ c =4R. Conversely, EM radiation is suppressed for λ&gt;λ c . However, the bubble surface is required to be highly reflective to achieve the optical quality for suppressing IR radiation by cavity QED. Water is opaque (and highly reflective) at IR wavelengths λ&gt;3 microns. But this condition is nicely satisfied in sonoluminescence, as the bubble nucleates at a radius R˜R 0  having a resonant IR wavelength λ 0 =4 R 0 ˜6 microns where water is highly reflective.  
           [0029]    The amount of thermal kT energy suppressed at ambient temperature is given by the harmonic oscillator and depends on the wavelength λ of the IR radiation. FIG. 3 shows the average Planck energy E avg  at ambient temperature to only be significant at IR wavelengths λ &gt;10 microns, saturation occurring at kT˜0.025 eV for λ&gt;100 μm. About 4% of the available thermal kT energy is contained at λ&lt;10 microns, and therefore if the particle radius R 0 &lt;¼λ˜2.5 microns at the instant of separation, the IR radiation suppressed is greater than 96% of the available thermal kT energy.  
           [0030]    Provided the spherical particle of water molecules has a radius R 0 &lt;2.5 microns, the suppressed IR energy U IR  is,  
               U   IR     &lt;         4      π     3          R   0   3        Ψ             (   1   )                               
 
           [0031]    where, Ψ is the EM energy density, Ψ˜N dof ×½ kT/Δ 3  and Δ is the spacing between water molecules at liquid density, Δ˜3.1 angstroms.  
           [0032]    Suppressed IR radiation is a loss of EM energy that is conserved by the spontaneous emission of IR radiation, the spontaneous emission absorbed by the bubble surface because of its high optical quality provided by the water molecule at IR frequencies. But the annular gap is resonant at VUV frequencies, and therefore the Planck energy in the gap increases with frequency from the IR to the VUV. The Planck energy in the gap is reduced because of the leakage of photons in the VIS, but does not detract from the production of VUV light. In this way, sonoluminescence produces VUV light in the annular gap from the cavity QED induced spontaneous emission of IR radiation at ambient temperature.  
           [0033]    During spontaneous emission, the IR energy accumulates as multi-IR photon energy at the cavity radius R. If all the available EM energy U IR  suppressed during nucleation is conserved with the Planck energy E of the surface molecules at bubble radius R,  
             E   =         N   dof     6            (       R   0     R     )     2          (       R   0     Δ     )        kT             (   2   )                               
 
           [0034]    At T˜300 K and a particle radius R 0 ˜1.44 microns, the Planck energy E accumulated by multi-IR photons at radius R˜R )  is about 120 eV and decreases with increasing radius as shown in FIG. 4.  
           [0035]    In sonoluminescence, the coherent VIS light observed from bubbles in water is generally not thought produced by photoluminescence of the water by VUV radiation, but rather as Ar*OH excimers decompose in the high pressures developed in bubble collapse. In cavity QED induced sonoluminescence, the excited OH states necessary to form the Ar*OH excimers are produced following the dissociation of water molecules in the annular gap into hydronium H 3 O +  and hydroxyl OH − ions by cavity QED induced VUV light.  
           [0036]    The multi-IR photon energy at radius R may be quantified by the number N VUV  of VUV photons having sufficient Planck energy E VUV  to dissociate the water molecule and raise the hydroxyl ion to excited *OH states,  
               N   VUV     =         U   IR       E   VUV       =         2      π     3              N   dof          (       R   o     Δ     )       3          (     kT     E   VUV       )                 (   3   )                               
 
           [0037]    where, E VUV =N IR  kT and N IR  is the number of multi-IR photons. The number N OH  of OH ions formed from the cavity wall depends on the hydroxyl yield γ OH  by, 
           N OH =γ OH N VUV   (4) 
           [0038]    At VUV frequencies, the yield γ p  is unity. Taking the dissociation of water to occur at E VUV ˜4.9 eV and a particle radius R 0 ˜1.44 microns, the number of ions N OH ˜6.6×10 9 .  
           [0039]    Argon dissolved in the water combines with the excited hydroxyl states to form the Ar*OH excimers by the mole fraction solubility φ˜2.75×10 −5 . Hence, the number N Ar*OH  of Ar*OH excimers is, N Ar*OH &gt;φN OH ˜1.8×10 5 . In bubble collapse, high pressures develop in the collision of the bubble walls, the magnitude of pressure proportional to the size of the bubble prior to collapse, e.g., a bubble radius of about 35 microns develops a collapse pressure of about 200 bars. At this pressure, argon excimers decompose giving one VIS photon per excimer, or 1.8×10 5  VIS photons. This is consistent with the experimental standard unit of sonoluminescence, i.e., the 2×10 5  VIS photons found for the collapse of a typical bubble in air saturated water.  
           [0040]    Cavity QED induced sonoluminescence is optimal for liquid water. Weak sonoluminescence is observed from liquid helium and nitrogen as low surface tension limits the size of the particle at nucleation that controls the number of atoms that spontaneously emit thermal kT energy, but also because of the low thermal kT energy at cryogenic temperatures. Water is the optimum liquid for the QED device because water has a high surface tension while still providing significant thermal kT energy even at ambient temperature.  
           [0041]    Triboluminescence  
           [0042]    Unlike sonoluminescence that occurs in the liquid state, electrons and VIS light in triboluminescence is emitted from materials as they fracture under tension or crush under compression. Triboluminescence is known from the prior art and is not patentable, but the QED process of cavity QED induced VUV light to produce triboluminescence is novel and patentable.  
           [0043]    Triboluminescence by fracture under tension of a material by crack growth as the opening of gap g between fragments is depicted in FIG. 5. Cracks open during periods the crack tip is subjected to hydrostatic tension, the crack growth process providing a flow of microscopic particles  4  from the crack tip  5 , the particles  4  comprising atoms and molecules at solid density. FIG. 6 depicts platens  6  crushing material  7 . Crushing acts to close cracks to microscopic dimensions, the crushing process reducing fragments to particle sizes comparable to the dimensions of the space between platens.  
           [0044]    Fracture and crushing as QED processes treat the microscopic gaps between fragments as 1-dimensional QED cavities having a EM resonant wavelength λ c ˜2 g, where g is the gap dimension in FIGS. 5 and 6. QED processes in triboluminescence produce EM energy from the spontaneous emission of IR radiation at the instant the particles separate from the fragments in fracture, or as the fragments close on the particles during crushing.  
           [0045]    Prior to fracture or crushing, atoms and molecules in the solid state emit N dof ×½ kT of EM radiation. For most solid state materials, N dof ˜3. Similar to the liquid state, the EM radiation from the continuum in the solid state is emitted as IR radiation at ambient temperature as shown in FIG. 3.  
           [0046]    Since the space in the gap g between crack and fragment faces has a high EM resonant frequency, the low frequency IR radiation from the atoms in the separated particle is momentarily suppressed. Suppressed IR radiation is a loss of EM energy that must be conserved, and therefore the EM energy is spontaneously emitted as multi-IR photons that accumulate to VUV levels in the atoms and molecules of fragment surfaces. For a particle of radius R 0 , the Planck energy E at a distance X from the center of the particle,  
             E   =       1   2            (       R   0     X     )     2          (       R   0     Δ     )        kT             (   5   )                               
 
           [0047]    Taking R 0 ˜1 micron and Δ˜3 angstroms, the Planck energy E at the particle surface is about 40 eV. The number N VIS  of VIS photons produced depends on the photoluminescence yield γ pl  and the number of N VUV  of VUV photons, 
           N VIS =γ pl N VUV   (6) 
           [0048]    In triboluminescence, the VIS light observed from fracture of the solid state is the result of the cavity QED induced VUV light, the VIS light produced from the excitation of gases in the crack and by the photoluminescence of the solid state materials forming the crack surfaces.  
           [0049]    Flow Electrification  
           [0050]    In the flow of jet fuels and automobile gasoline, the fuel is electrified posing a danger caused by discharge of the charge buildup. Flow electrification is known from the prior art and is not patentable, but the QED process of cavity QED induced VUV light to produce flow electrification is novel and patentable.  
           [0051]    [0051]FIG. 7 illustrates the QED induced flow electrification. Protrusions  8  in the pipe wall perturb the flow  9  to cause low-pressure regions. In QED induced flow electrification, the QED cavities are microscopic bubbles  10  that nucleate in the low-pressure regions. Because of surface tension, the nucleation produces a spherical particle  11  of fuel molecules at liquid density. Fluids that electrify including aviation fuel and automobile gasoline are insulators having low electrical conductivity, thereby permitting the buildup of electrical charge. In contrast, water has an electrical conductivity about 7 orders of magnitude greater than fuels, i.e., charge buildup does not occur in water during acoustic cavitation. In the flow of insulator fuels, cavity QED induced VUV light charges the fluid positive by the liberation of electrons by the photoelectric effect.  
           [0052]    Prior to nucleation, the fluid molecules in the liquid continuum under hydrostatic compression emit N dof ×½ kT of EM radiation, which at ambient temperature is emitted from the continuum as IR radiation. For fuels, N dof ˜6. But at the instant the particle separates from the bubble, the low frequency IR radiation from the fluid molecules in the particle is suppressed as the bubble has a high EM resonant frequency. Suppressed IR radiation is a loss of EM energy that is conserved by the spontaneous emission of IR radiation that accumulates to VUV levels on the bubble surface. For a particle of radius R 0 , the Planck energy E on the bubble wall at a distance R from the center of the particle,  
             E   =         (       R   0     R     )     2          (       R   0     Δ     )        kT             (   7   )                               
 
           [0053]    where, the particle radius R 0 ˜2S/P. For fuels, S˜0.02 N/m. At atmospheric pressure, R 0 ˜0.4 microns. For n-Heptane having a molecular weight of 100 and density 684 kg/m 3 ,Δ˜6.2 angstroms, the Planck energy E at the particle surface is about 16 eV.  
           [0054]    The number N e  of electrons produced by a single bubble from the VUV irradiation of the bubble wall depends on the electron yield γ e  by, 
           N e =γ e N VUV   (8) 
           [0055]    where, the number of VUV photons N VUV ˜1.77×10 7  from Eqn. (3). For γ e &gt;0.0001, N e &gt;2000 with an equivalent number of charged molecular states in the fluid.  
           [0056]    In flow electrification, the charged fluid and electrons are the result of the cavity QED induced photoelectric effect, the electrons produced by the VUV irradiation of the bubble wall at the instant of bubble nucleation.  
           [0057]    Static Electricity  
           [0058]    Since the time of the early Greeks, static electricity is a well-known phenomenon in the prior art and not patentable, but the QED process of cavity QED induced VUV light to produce static electricity is novel and patentable.  
           [0059]    [0059]FIG. 8 illustrates the cavity QED induced static electricity. Microscopic gaps g that open and close as materials  13  and  14  are made to contact each other are 1-dimensional QED cavities. Particles  15  that are part of material  13  rub off to produce free particle  16  in the gap, although the free particle  16  may be present in the surroundings as the QED cavity opens or closes. Otherwise, QED induced static electricity process and triboluminescence are similar.  
           [0060]    Prior to confinement in the QED cavity, the atoms in the particles have N dof ×½ kT of EM energy, which at ambient temperature is emitted as IR radiation. But at the instant the 1-D cavities open or close to an EM resonant wavelength λ c &lt;10 microns, or gap g &lt;5 microns, the low frequency IR radiation from the water molecules in the particle is suppressed. To conserve EM energy, the suppressed IR radiation is spontaneously emitted and accumulates to VUV levels on the adjacent material surfaces.  
           [0061]    In cavity QED induced static electricity, the VUV radiation produces electrons from the contacting materials by the photoelectric effect. The number N e  of electrons produced from the VUV irradiation of the particles depends on the electron yield γ e  of the materials [see Eqn. (6)] and the number N vuv  of VUV photons [see Eqn.(3)]. For dissimilar materials irradiated with VUV light, both materials lose electrons. But the material with the highest electron yield per VUV photon loses more electrons than it gains and charges positive, the one gaining a net number of electrons is charged negative.  
           [0062]    Atmospheric Electricity  
           [0063]    In atmospheric electricity, storms producing lightning and thunder are well-known from the prior art and not patentable, but the QED process of cavity QED induced VUV light to produce atmospheric electricity is novel and patentable.  
           [0064]    FIGS.  9 - 11  illustrate cavity QED induced atmospheric electricity. FIG. 9 shows a microscopic bubble  17  nucleates around a central particle  18  during the large volume expansion in graupel, the graupel a liquid-ice mixture that forms as moisture carried by updrafts of the storm supercools at high altitudes. Bubble nucleation produces VUV light by cavity QED induced spontaneous emission that dissociates the water molecules in the annular gap  19  between the particle and bubble surfaces into hydronium and hydroxyl ions. Unlike sonoluminescence where little air is drawn into the expanding bubble because of the short time available at acoustic frequencies, graupel expansion is prolonged allowing air  20  to be drawn into the bubbles.  
           [0065]    Ionic charge separation occurs by the pH of the raindrops. Typically, rainwater has an acid pH, and therefore the bubble particle and walls carry a positive background charge. The cavity QED produced hydronium ions are repulsed to the bubble vapor while the companion hydroxyl ions are attracted to the surfaces of the particle and the bubble wall.  
           [0066]    The hydronium and hydroxyl ions react with water and nitrogen molecules to form positive charge proton-hydrate (PH) and negative charge non-proton-hydrate (NPH) clusters.  
           [0067]    The graupel volume contracts to collapse the bubbles as depicted in FIG. 10. But the water vapor is not compressed because it is a condensable vapor in 2-phase equilibrium with the liquid bubble walls. Only the air drawn into the graupel after nucleation is compressed to a high pressure. Hence, air with PH vapor  21  is forced out of the graupel, the vapor promptly forming positive charged micro-droplets; whereas, the NPH ions are attracted to the graupel.  
           [0068]    [0068]FIG. 11 shows the graupel later falling to the earth, the NPH ions subliming as a negative charged vapor. Charge separation that began at bubble nucleation is completed by the formation of light PH cluster clouds that remain buoyant in the stratosphere while the heavier NPH clouds fall to the earth.  
           [0069]    In cavity QED induced atmospheric electricity, cloud-to-ground lightning is caused by the discharge of negative charge NPH clouds with the positive charge earth; whereas, cloud-to-cloud lightning is caused by discharge between the negative charged NPH clouds and positive charge PH clouds.  
         DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
         [0070]    The present invention is described by QED devices that rely on the cavity QED induced VUV light to produce VIS photons, electrons, and ions.  
           [0071]    In the drawings:  
           [0072]    [0072]FIG. 12 is a cross-section elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention for a QED device comprising an ultrasonic lamp producing VIS light.  
           [0073]    [0073]FIG. 13 is a cross-section elevation view depicting another preferred embodiment of the present invention for QED devices comprising a solid particle encapsulated in a microsphere to produce VIS photons, electrons, and ions. FIG. 14 shows how the microsphere light sources may be arranged in a small container to produce VIS light by manual shaking. FIG. 15 shows how the light sources may be placed on acoustically driven optical elements.  
           [0074]    [0074]FIG. 16 shows the present invention in a cross-section elevation view for still another preferred embodiment for a QED device to produce VIS photons and electrons comprising layered optical windows utilizing thermal energy from the surroundings to drive a QED thermal laser. A similar layered configuration for a QED device of a thermoelectric battery is shown in FIG. 17.  
           [0075]    [0075]FIG. 18 and  19  depict the present invention in a cross-section elevation view of a QED device as a particle filter. FIG. 18 shows a microscopic cell producing VIS light. A particle filter producing comprising a plurality of microscopic cells is shown in FIG. 19.  
           [0076]    The foregoing are given only as illustrative examples of the use of cavity QED induced VUV light in QED devices disclosed in the present invention, and do not in any way limit the generality of QED devices embodied in the present invention. 
       
    
    
       [0077]    Ultrasonic Lamp and Battery  
         [0078]    In one preferred embodiment, cavity QED induced VUV light is used in a QED device to produce VIS light in an ultrasonic lamp.  
         [0079]    [0079]FIG. 12 illustrates the cavity QED induced ultrasonic VIS lamp. A transparent container  25  houses a large number of microscopic solid particles  26  in liquid water  27 . The particles are essentially spherical and fabricated from a metal oxide, such as zinc oxide or the like having a high photoluminescence yield of VIS photons at VUV frequencies. Acoustic crystals  28  the container in orthogonal directions to immerse the particles  26  in a spherical acoustic field.  
         [0080]    During periods of hydrostatic tension in the acoustic cycle, the bubbles  29  having a radius R nucleate in the liquid around the solid particles of radius R 0 . In contrast, the particle in sonoluminescence is comprised solely of water molecules at liquid density formed by surface tension. Metal oxides are hydrophobic in water, and therefore the nucleation process in the ultrasonic lamp exposes a dry surface. An annular gap  30  promptly forms between the particle and bubble wall surfaces, providing the particle radius R o  is slightly less than the surface tension radius for water, i.e., R 0 &lt;2S/P˜1.44 microns. Hence, particles  26  are required to have a diameter radius 2R 0 &lt;2.88 microns.  
         [0081]    Prior to nucleation, the metal oxide molecules in the particle emit N dof ×½ kT of EM radiation. At ambient temperature, EM radiation is emitted from the particle as IR radiation. But at the instant the bubble wall separates from the particle, the bubble having a high EM resonant frequency suppresses the low frequency IR radiation from the metal oxide molecules in the particle. Suppressed IR radiation is a loss of EM energy that is conserved by the spontaneous emission of IR radiation. Hence, the IR photons are absorbed [see Eqn. 3] because of the high optical quality of the QED cavity provided by the absorption of the water molecule at IR frequencies. Subsequently, the VUV resonance of the annular gap [see Eqn. 6] excites the surface of the particles at VUV frequencies.  
         [0082]    In the cavity QED acoustic lamp, VIS light is produced by photoluminescence of the metal oxide particles by the cavity QED induced VUV light from the spontaneous emission of IR radiation.  
         [0083]    The QED acoustic lamp may be converted to a QED acoustic battery by replacing the water  27  with liquid n-Heptane having a low electrical conductivity, the electrons produced from the n-Heptane from the cavity QED induced VUV light by photoelectric effect.  
         [0084]    Microsphere Light Source  
         [0085]    In another preferred embodiment, cavity QED induced VUV light is used in a microsphere light source.  
         [0086]    [0086]FIG. 13 shows the solid particle  33  of radius R 0  encapsulated by an IR transparent solid  35  within a shell  34  having radius R. Both particle  33  and shell  34  are fabricated from zinc oxide having high photoluminescence yield. The particle  33  is encapsulated in silicon  35  that is transparent in the IR from about 1 to 20 microns.  
         [0087]    In macroscopic cavities absent cavity QED effects, the particle  33  gains and loses heat Q the usual way by conduction with the shell  34  as shown in FIG. 7( a ). However, cavity QED effects modify the heat transfer by including the rapid loss of thermal kT energy by spontaneous emission of EM radiation hυ compared to the slow heat Q loss by conduction. Heat Q gained by the particle by conduction is promptly lost by the spontaneous emission of EM radiation hυ. The QED device finds application as a steady QED laser or thermoelectric device driven by the temperature of the surroundings.  
         [0088]    Microspheres fabricated with the particles  33  in a vacuum without a solid IR transparent material  35  are depicted to be vibrated in FIG. 14 and  15 . A vacuum requires intermittent contact to transfer heat from the shell  34  to the particle  33 . FIG. 14 shows microspheres in a transparent container  36  vibrated manually by hand  37  to produce VIS light. FIG. 15 shows a concave optical lens  38  coated with a microsphere layer excited by an acoustic drive  39  to produce a beam of VIS light focussed at point  40 .  
         [0089]    Provided the gap between the particle  33  and the shell  34  is IR transparent, the shells  34  are prescribed to have a radius R &lt;2.5 microns, or a wavelength λ&lt;10 microns consistent with the suppression of IR radiation at ambient temperature as shown in FIG. 2. Suppressed IR radiation is spontaneously emitted by cavity QED provided the particle is separate from the microsphere.  
         [0090]    For a silicon  35  encapsulated particle  33 , the QED induced VUV light produces a number of VUV photons [see Eqn. 3] that are converted to VIS light [see Eqn. 6] by photoluminescence, e.g., for a microsphere of zinc oxide, a VIS green light is produced. In the alternative particle  33  encapsulated in an evacuated shell  34  provided with a filler gas, the VUV light excites the filler gas, which if nitrogen produces blue VIS light.  
         [0091]    Thermal Laser and Thermoelectric Battery  
         [0092]    In still another preferred embodiment, cavity QED induced VUV light is used to provide a steady QED thermal laser and thermoelectric battery.  
         [0093]    The VIS laser shown in FIG. 16 comprises optical quartz windows  50  about 1 cm in diameter separated to form a 1-dimensional QED cavity having a gap g of about 5 microns, thereby providing the suppression of IR radiation at wavelength λ&gt;2 g˜10 microns. The interior window surfaces  51  are coated with metal oxide, such as zinc oxide or the like having a high photoluminescence yield of VIS photons at VUV frequencies. A zinc oxide powder  52  having a diameter 2R 0 &lt;3 microns is provided in the gap. The QED cavity carries a filler gas  53 , such as nitrogen.  
         [0094]    [0094]FIG. 17 depicts the cavity QED thermoelectric battery that except for the window coating materials is otherwise identical to the QED thermal laser shown in FIG. 8( a ). The QED thermoelectric battery requires one coating  54  to have a high photoelectric yield while the other  55  is reflective at VUV frequencies to optimize the potential difference and electron yield between the materials.  
         [0095]    In both QED laser and thermoelectric battery, thermal energy from the surroundings is converted to a continuous steady low-level source of VIS light or electrons. Heat is transferred by convection from the windows  50  to the powder  52  by collisions of the filler gas molecules with to maintain the zinc oxide powder  52  at ambient temperature, the heat compensating for the loss of IR radiation by spontaneous emission induced by cavity QED.  
         [0096]    In the QED thermal laser, the powder atoms spontaneously convert thermal kT energy to VUV light [see Eqn. 3]. The QED thermal laser produces VIS light from the metal oxide coated windows, e.g., zinc oxide produces a green light by photoluminescence [sse Eqn. 6]. In the alternative, the VUV light excites the filler gas, e.g., nitrogen produces blue VIS light.  
         [0097]    The QED thermoelectric battery converts the thermal energy of the surroundings to a potential difference V 2 −V 1  and a source of electrons. The cavity QED induced VUV light produces electrons [see Eqn. 7] from both materials  54  and  55  depending on their photoelectric yields, the material with the higher yield losing more electrons and acquires a positive charge [see Eqn. 8]. Material  54  is depicted to acquire a positive charge owing to its higher electron yield, while the reflective material  55  gains electrons and charges negative.  
         [0098]    Particle Filter  
         [0099]    In a still another preferred embodiment, the QED device is used in a filter having microscopic pores resonant with the flow of solid spherical particles to provide a source of VIS photons and electrons.  
         [0100]    [0100]FIG. 18 illustrates a microscopic QED flow cell. Solid particles  61  of n-type semiconductor material having a diameter 2R 0 &lt;3 microns move in tube 62 through a restriction  63  under the influence of an external electric field produced by voltages V 1  and V 2 . The particles  61  carry a negative charge and the tube  62  is fabricated from an electrical insulator material. VUV light is produced as the particles move through the restriction  63  having a dimension D with an EM resonance that suppresses IR radiation. The channel is evacuated and filled to a low-density nitrogen gas  64 . At ambient temperature, IR radiation is suppressed at a wavelength λ of about 10 microns, or a diameter D of 5 microns.  
         [0101]    A resonant filter comprising a plurality of microscopic pathways is illustrated in FIG. 19. The filter body  65  is an electrical insulator provided with a plurality of microscopic pathways  66  having a nominal diameter D &lt;10 microns. Solid particles  61  of n-type semiconductor material having a spherical diameter 2R 0 &lt;3 microns move through the pathways  65  under the influence of an external electric field produced by voltages V 1  and V 2 .  
         [0102]    VIS photons are caused by the excitation of the nitrogen gas by cavity QED induced VUV light produced as the particles move through the restrictions in FIGS.  9 ( a ) and ( b ). The VUV light excitation produces a positive charged insulator material from the electron loss by the photoelectric effect, the electrons lost by the insulator carried away by the electric field to a collector of the battery.