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May
1987
Interim
Report ,
Objective
H,
Task
1,
Deliverable
a
INITIAL PROTOCOL FOR REMOTE ACTION
INTERACTIONS WITH a-PARTICLES
By:
G. SCOTT HUBBARD
Prepared
for:
PETER
J.
McNELIS, DSW
CONTRACTING OFFICER'S TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVE
333
Ravenswood Avenue
Menlo
Park,
California
94025
U.S.A,
(415) 326-6200
Cable:
SRI
INTL MPK
TWX:
910-373-2046
ed For Release 2000/08/08
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ft
For Release 2000/08/08
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Interim Report,
Objective
H,
Task
1,
Deliverable a
Covering
the Period
October
1986
to 31 March
1987
May
1987
INITIAL PROTOCOL FOR REMOTE ACTION
INTERACTIONS WITH a-PARTICLES
By;
G. SCOTT HUBBARD
Prepared
for:
PETER
J.
McNELIS, DSW
CONTRACTING OFFICER'S TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVE
SRI
Project
1291
Approved by:
ROBERT
S. LEONARD, Executive Director
Geoscience and Engineering Center
\
333 Ravenswood Avenue
•
Menlo
Park,
California
94025
•
U.S.A.
jved For f4ef<U
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J-l^^-(f(^9Rl[5O^0ty0«3OOO1 -1
InternAtt
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I INTRODUCTION
SRI International has designed and constructed hardware that
it will use to test for the
existence of remote action (RA) by examining the geometrical distribution of a beam of
a -particles as a function of mental effort by selected participants.
The hypothesis
is that RA
will deflect an a -particle to a position where
it would never appear under control conditions,
In the proposed experiment, a low-intensity collimated beam of a-particles will be allowed to
drift approximately
1 cm,
in a vacuum, from the radioactive source to a position sensitive
radiation detector.
The detector will be capable of registering the arrival of single particles.
During the experiment, individuals will be asked to deflect particles from the beam by
“mental” means alone.
The conceptual outline of the experiment was reported in FY 1986.
Figure
1, below, reproduces that orginal concept for reference.
FIGURE
CONCEPTUAL CONFIGURATION OF AN QHPARTICLE EXPERIMENT
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An initial protocol for an RA experiment using a-particles as the target element has now
been devised.
Development and testing of the a-particle detector instrumentation, computer
controlled display of data, examination of potential artifactual influences, and determination of
potential participants have proceeded during FY 1987.
The status of each area
is outlined in
the section on method of approach.
The design for this experiment stems from the following argument:
If RA manifests itself
as a causative effect upon matter, then
it may well be mediated by one of the known
fundamental forces of nature
[strong or weak nuclear forces,
gravity or electromagnetism
(EM) ]
.
Many of the macro—RA studies cited in the literature on parapsychology appear to be
electromagnetic in their effects (bending metal, affecting electronic apparatus, moving small
objects).
Soviet and Eastern Bloc researchers have coined the term bioelectromagnetism to
characterize many of their observations.
Because EM
is very well understood and
quantifiable, particularly in comparison to the other forces, we proposed that an RA target be
selected that
is fundamentally sensitive to EM.
Ideally, the electron, a basic unit of electric
charge can be used; however, practical engineering difficulties eliminated electrons as an RA
target.
Similarly, hydrogen ions
(a single positive charge) are
difficult to use and potentially
dangerous as molecular hydrogen (H2).
The best alternative
is the a-particle, which has two
positive charges and is relatively easy and safe to manipulate.
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II METHOD OF APPROACH
A.
Hardware Considerations
1.
Detector Instrumentation
During FY 1986, the necessary detector apparatus was specified and purchased or
fabricated. This equipment has now been tested for use in the proposed RA experiment and
has been modified or improved where necessary.
Figure 2 shows the schematic arrangement
of the apparatus.
The activity level of the radioactive source has been verified with a
FIGURE 2
SINGLE a-PARTICLE RA APPARATUS
Geiger-Mueller Tube detector system with an appropriate thin entry window.
It
is in the
range of -100
cts/s, which
will be adequate for the the experiment.
The operation of the
multiple
strip detector system has also been tested with a single channel preamplifier unit and
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was functioning properly after the system noise had been properly filtered by use of an
appropriate amplifier time constant.
Principal difficulties encountered in the pilot work with
the detector centered on proper alignment of 48 parallel channels and suppression of
electronic noise pickup from the environment.
The
first problem was solved by carefully
rerouting and checking
all wires, vacuum feedthrough connectors, and computer register
inputs.
Noise interference has been suppressed by several techniques, including identifying
and removing ground loops,
establishing a substantial ground plane next to the detector,
supplying a shielded connector inside the vacuum chamber, and replacing twisted pair wires
with coaxial cable.
2.
Data Display
With the help of a Geoscience and Engineering Center specialist in real-time
computer systems, the LSI 11/23 computer, Computer Automated Measurement and Control
(CAMAC)
interface and data inputs have been made operational.
We now are able to
identify which of 48 possible detector strips have been activated, to save the position data,
and to reinitialize the system rapidly for another cycle.
The position information
is
transmitted via the CAMAC interface to the LSI
1 1 computer where
it is stored in a memory
buffer.
The data are then shown on a video display screen and printed out for later
inspection.
At present, this process
is repeated each time any detector strip has been
activated.
Early in the third quarter of FY 1987, we anticipate improving of this process to
include a continuous updating of the video display, which will serve as the feedback to the
participant while he
is attempting to influence the
flight of a-particles.
Schematically, the
new display may appear as in Figure
3.
3.
Artifactual Influences
We have initiated measurements of potential sources of artifact that may influence
the
flight of the particles or add extra noise to the electronics.
The room in which the apparatus
is located contains a transmission electron
microscope (TEM) with
its attendant high voltage power supply, typical industrial fluorescent
lighting, as well as the video display terminal and other computer equipment.
Measurements
of magnetic field transients indicated that shielding was needed near the detector apparatus.
A metal shield for the source-detector assembly
is being made, and we anticipate installing
and testing
it early in the third quarter.
This shield will also serve to suppress ambient electric
fields. A TOPAZ power conditioner was purchased and installed to suppress or eliminate
power line surges resulting from switching of other nearby apparatus such as the TEM,
The
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FIGURE 3
SCHEMATIC REPRESENTATION OF VIDEO DISPLAY, SHOWING NORMAL
PARTICLE DISTRIBUTION AND ONE RA DEFLECTED PARTICLE
power conditioner meets severe IEEE and Mil-Std specifications for noise and transient
suppression and appears to have successfully eliminated such problems.
B.
Participant Selection
A request for clarification about potential RA participants was made to the COTR
through SRI’s program director.
Although outside RA participants recruited through the John
F. Kennedy University subcontract will be used in the SRI study of RA effects on piezoelectric
transducers,
it was decided that these individuals
will not be appropriate for the a-particle
experiment.
The COTR has specified that only certain individuals should participate in the
a-particle experiment.
Accordingly, we have are considering several possibilities, including
using experienced remote viewers who have expressed some interest in or demonstrated some
previous
ability at RA, screening SRI staff with pilot trials, and contacting individuals who
participated in the FY 1980 random number generator RA study. 1 * We anticipate beginning
the process of selecting participants in the third quarter of FY 1987.
*
References are listed at the end of this report.
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C.
Data Collection
By late third quarter of FY 1987, we anticipate beginning exploratory and pilot RA trials
using the a-particle experiment.
Typical experimental protocols will include three types of
data collection:
•
Global Control Trials:
Data collection for many hours with no attention
placed on the target element.
This technique establishes the long-term
performance of the system and determines the unperturbed artifact
production rate.
To establish RA effects
[as distinguished from intuitive
data sorting (IDS)], the
artifact rate must be zero above a predetermined
noise threshold. 2
•
Local Control Trials:
Data collection just before or just after an
experimental session, with no attention placed on the target element.
These trials are intended to confirm the proper operation of the system
immediately before or after an RA session.
Because both ordinary
scientific experiments and RA literature contain evidence for
“relaxation”
or “linger”
effects that persist after an interaction,3 local
control
trials are sometimes defined as only those immediately before an
experimental session. 1
•
Experimental Trials:
Data collection during an RA session when mental
intent
is focused on the the target element.
Usually, periods of effort
are interspersed with periods of rest.
Periods of effort in RA sessions
may be from 5 to 20 minutes long, with,
ordinarily, no more than three
effort periods in a day and sometimes only a single
trial. The timing and
spacing of RA sessions depends on the participant and must be
determined empirically.
In the present experimental configuration the participant will be about one meter from
the radioactive source and detector electronics.
In order to determine whether the presence
of an individual influences the system, we
will record control trials both with and without
people present in the experimental area.
A typical experiment might proceed as follows:
Prior to the arrival of the participant, an
individual serving as the session experimenter enters the experimental area and checks
all
equipment for proper operation. A local control trial
is then conducted in order to record
the baseline performance of the system.
The experimental session
is then carried out,
potentially consisting of three periods of effort interspersed with with two periods of rest.
During the periods of effort, the subject’s task
will be to affect the particle’s
flight by mental
means alone, thereby producing an event well removed from the ordinary beam spot.
In
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practice, the participant’s attention
will be focused on a video display screen that
will show the
cumulative counting of particles as they arrive.
During the period of rest, the participant will be asked to direct his attention away from
the apparatus and engage in some other activity such as reading.
However,
at this point in
the development of an RA protocol we cannot predict with any confidence the degree of
control a participant may be able to exercise over an RA ability.
For example,
in the
parapsychological literature there are reports of “release of effort” or “unintentional”
effects
that occur immediately after a period of effort .4
Provided the normal artifact rate
is zero, we
will report
all data produced during the entire experimental session, regardless of whether
it
is
termed “rest” or “effort.”
As indicated above, we
will define the pre-session local control period as that
immediately prior to the experimental session.
Control trials will also be conducted
immediately after the experimental session.
These post-session control trials
will be examined
for the possible existence of linger or relaxation effects as described
earlier.
We will collect data about the position of all a -particles as they arrive at the detector.
As a consequence, we shall be able to conduct an IDS experiment in parallel with the RA
effort. A statistical comparison of the distribution of particles during the periods of effort and
control
will show whether the participant has selected an effort time when the normal
fluctuation of particle positions
is significantly different.
This additional analysis will
complement the search for causative RA effects.
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III
DISCUSSION
We stress the exploratory nature of this experiment as a test of the existence of RA.
There
is no precedent in the parapsychology literature for using the position of a-particles as
an RA target.
Consequently, certain psychological factors such as visual contact with the
target and type of feedback will have to be developed as the experiment proceeds.
For
example, a-particles are not visible to the naked eye as
is the piezoelectric transducers nor
does the particle emit background noise that can be amplified as feedback for the subject as
with the piezoelectric element.
We believe that suitable participant feedback and
psychological setting can be created for this study, but the pilot nature of the entire
experiment dictates that,
at this time, we not commit the extensive resources being dedicated
to the piezoelectric experiment.
That
is, we
will depend primarily on control trials to establish
the
stability of the system and
will not employ elaborate security measures or exhaustive
environmental monitoring.
Should we detect candidate RA effects with the precautions
normally observed in a standard radiation measurement experiment, we
will proceed with
more extraordinary precautions.
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