Photon radiation calorimetry for anomalous heat generation in NiCu multilayer thin film during hydrogen gas desorption

TL;DR

This study develops photon radiation calorimetry to measure anomalous heat in NiCu multilayer films during hydrogen desorption, revealing excess heat likely of nuclear origin rather than chemical.

Contribution

It introduces a novel calorimetry method with multiple detectors for detecting excess heat in thin films during hydrogen desorption, highlighting potential nuclear processes.

Findings

NiCu multilayers produce significant excess heat during hydrogen desorption.

Photon radiation spectra differ with and without hydrogen, indicating sample-specific effects.

Energy output suggests a nuclear-level process rather than chemical reactions.

Abstract

In order to investigate the anomalous heat effect (AHE) in NiCu multilayer thin film, photon radiation calorimetry has been developed. Three types of photon detectors are employed to cover a wide range of wavelengths from 0.3 um to 5.5 um, i.e., photon energies from 0.2 to 1.8 eV. In the present work, the usefullness of the calorimetry is demonstrated for excess heat measurements with samples of Ni pure, NiCu composite layers, and Cu layer deposited on the Ni substrate. Direct comparisons of photon radiation spectra with and without H2 easily showed sample-specific differences in excess heat power. The samples of NiCu composite layer produced larger excess heat. By incorporating the measured radiant power into a heat flow model, the excess heat was deduced to be 4 - 6 W. The energy generated in 80 hours reached to 460 +/- 120 kJ: the generated energy per hydrogen was at least 410 +/- 108 keV/H atom. This is definitely not a chemical reaction, but producing energy at the level of nuclear reactions.