From: Bob Higgins
Jones, can you elaborate on Holmlid's call for replication? He (Ólafsson) did not suggest anything specific, but it will be helpful when/if someone starts a dedicated site (or subsite addition) for experimenters to use specifically for the Holmlid effect, since there are a number of approaches to either Holmlid or desktop ICF which can be included under the same umbrella – which is a far cry cost-wise from what is practiced for ICF by the big labs. Jack Cole or Alain could be interested in branching out this way - or MFMP. It is a bit surprising that replication attempts have not been forthcoming. The difficult part is verifying muons – but that can come later if any evidence of excess heat turns up. Hopefully MFMP will consider radiation testing for devices of others - using the same sophisticated equipment which Alan Goldwater is using … at least for any experiment in Silicon Valley which can be moved to another location. There are a number of ways to proceed with a hybrid of the Holmlid laser technique combined with something else, such as the obvious addition of low powered laser irradiation to the glow-tube (as in Letts-Cravens) or as a complete substitute heat source - so that resistance wire can be ditched. The Letts-Cravens effect combines electrolysis with low powered lasers and magnets. AFAIK this is the only experiment which EarthTech in Austin has said was found to be gainful by them, including lots of failed Pd-D failed trials over the years, which did not employ a laser. The big benefit is moderate overall temperature. My recent approach to a hybrid setup is to use semi-coherent (monochromatic) photons as the light source – with which to irradiate a translucent cell. This could work with a glow tube if it was translucent. A laser is more efficient for incandescent photons from Kanthal wire but both a 20 times less efficient than sodium vapor. This should work at low temperature, assuming SPP can be produced by the photons. This approach is low budget and is almost ready for testing. In terms of economics, a low pressure sodium vapor light source, ultra-efficient at 15 watts - costing about 1,000 times less than a laser for equal number of photons – has the obvious drawback of lack of full coherency. It could be that the Holmlid effect demands full coherency but SPP do not demand it. That is the goal and advancement which could come out of a simple test - to see if focused monochromatic light (same wavelength at the YAG, in the yellow-green) will make SPPs as well as laser light. Note – Holmlid was not aware of an SPP modality, when asked about this last year, but one thing he does better than any other scientist I know of - is to evolve based on collaboration. Not many top scientists have controlled their ego so as to have so many talented collaborators as LH --- and now it looks like Ólafsson is the heir apparent, so I hope he continues the tradition.
