Francesco Celani’s scientific contributions

Since 2011, our group at INFN-LNF has been advancing Anomalous Heat Effects (AHE) generation using Constantan alloy (Cu55Ni44Mn1). Our experimental setup is designed to: (a) decompose molecular hydrogen (H₂) or deuterium (D₂) into atomic form, (b) store hydrogen within the alloy lattice, and (c) enhance AHE, particularly at elevated temperatures (400-800°C). The system employs longitudinal electromigration (DC or pulsed) along a 160 cm, 200 μm wire, combined with transverse excitation at low gas pressures. A counter-electrode, positioned a few millimeters away, forms a reversed coaxial configuration: the outer layer (typically ground) serves as the active electrode, while a thin iron tube inside acts as the counter-electrode. We measure AHE through thermometry, following blank tests with inert gases like vacuum, helium, argon, and their mixtures. The active electrode is coated with twin-layer nitrate solutions that decompose into oxides, using mixtures like Cu-Ni-Fe and Low Work Function (LWF) materials (Ca-Sr-Ba), typically in 2-4 layers. The wire is further insulated with porous glass-SiO₂ sheaths impregnated with the same solutions. In recent trials, we applied negative DC polarization, pulsed (half-wave, 10 ms duration at 50 Hz AC, controlled by a Variac), and unipolar negative pulses (1-4 ms), using a power dimmer to produce highly asymmetric pulse shapes. Performance trends show AHE reached 5-9 W with DC excitation (2-6 week wait, 170 W input), peaked at 23 W with pulsed unipolar excitation at 50 Hz (1-2 week wait, 170 W input), and exceeded 23 W with unipolar dimmer excitation (1-3 day wait, 130 W input). A major issue was localized melting of the Constantan wire at 1200°C, leading to failure. To resolve this, we transitioned to a new material capable of withstanding temperatures above 1500°C, replacing Constantan. Despite this, AHE was not observed with DC or full unipolar 50 Hz AC excitation. However, under specific conditions—power dimmer excitation at low gas pressure (200-400 mbar), with a counter-electrode at 400-600 V in phase with the negative electrode voltage (150-250 V)—we achieved significant AHE. The effects increased with a voltage difference up to 850 V, with rise times of <1 μs. The main pulse had a flat region of high power (100-500 μs) and a sinusoidal fall time (1-3 ms), creating a duty cycle of 7-15%. We tested electrodes of 125, 200, and 300 μm diameter at 20-80 W and temperatures between 300-900°C. Although AHE values with the new material are currently about half of those achieved with Constantan, there is strong potential for improvement. With better operating conditions, this material's higher temperature tolerance may lead to enhanced results. We hypothesize that AHE may arise from hydrogen flux within the material, or at the surface, directed toward the counter-electrode. The specific pulse shape from the power dimmer could play a key role, resembling an Otto-Benz cycle. This research is part of the EU Project CleanHME (#951974), with additional support from NEMC and IFA. NEMC conducted tests on the new material, and we extend our thanks to the SELCED and SIE Laboratories at INFN-LNF for their collaboration.

In 2011, we introduced the use of constantan alloy in LENR, in the form of long and thin wires as a hydrogen dissociation promoter. We disclosed for the first time the reason for the choice of such material at IWAHLM-12 Workshop (2017), hypothesizing it was the initiator of the reaction in Andrea Rossi’s experiment. We developed a specific treatment to increase the dimensionality of wire surface through the application of high peak power pulses. The wire is inserted in fiberglass sheaths, made up of micrometric fibers, impregnated with a solution of an electron-emitter element (Sr). Later, we added Fe and K to the wire surface and the sheaths and adopted the procedure of making equally spaced knots along the wire to produce thermal and magnetic gradients. We also pointed out that the addition of noble gases with low thermal conductivity, and in particular xenon, to the H2/D2 atmosphere, produces a considerable rise of temperature in the reactor, maybe because those gases acting as catalyzers in the generation of excess power. Measurements were always performed with isoperibolic calorimetry, which has the advantage of producing non-equilibrium conditions that favor the generation of anomalous heat excess (AHE). With this procedure, we reached a gain of almost a factor 2 at the highest temperature, although with limited stability over time. In this paper, we present SEM observations and EDX analyses of the wire before and after applying the treatment. We have also conducted a series of experiments using air-flow calorimetry. The calorimeter consists of an insulating Styrofoam box whose internal walls are covered with a thick foil of aluminum; the external wall of the reactor was covered with a double layer of black and thick aluminum foil to homogenize temperature. The calorimeter contains the reactor and a halogen tungsten lamp inside a dummy reactor used for calibrations. Even with the air-flow calorimetry approach, which does not produce the most appropriate conditions for AHE, we have obtained excess power, although in quite lower amounts. The best results are: (a) with 100-μm diameter wire, D2 at 1 bar, input power 90 W, the AHE was over 12 ±2 W, but after 1 day the wire broke and (b) with 200-μm diameter wire, Xe–D2 mixture each at 0.1 bar and input power of 120 W, AHE was 6–7 W stably for weeks.

At INFN-LNF, starting in 2011, we have investigated the behavior of the Constantan (Cst) alloy (Cu55Ni44Mn1; ISOTAN44) with hydrogen and/or deuterium (H2/D2) absorption and the generation of anomalous excess heat (AHE) at high temperatures (i.e. >200◦C). To further improve the intrinsic, excellent catalytic proprieties of Cst in H2 → 2H dissociation, we subjected the surface to repeated cycling of “flash” oxidation (pulsed power up to 20 kVA/g), obtaining sub-micrometric particles of mixed composition (Cst–NiOx–CuOy–CuxNiyOz) and reducing deleterious self-sintering problems with nano-materials at high temperatures. Despite the fact that insulation). Recently, we adopted the methodology of making several knots along wires (holes 150–200 μm), later coated multiple times with an iron solution. We introduced potassium into thesolution (which is known as a promoter of iron catalytic performance) and, eventually, manganese to prevent or decrease potassium evaporation. H+ electro- migration, due to large current (>2 A) flowing along the Cst wires as well as high magnetic fields at the center of the knots and on iron micro-particles (absorbing hydrogen at high temperatures) deposited inside micro-holes of Cst, is supposed to play a role in AHE. The cylindrical thick-glass wall reactor had a volume of 250 cm3; operating pressures were 0.1–3 bar; the gases used were helium (for calibration), D2, pure or mixed with xenon (which has ultra-low thermal conduction). In a difference from our previous experiments, we employed only D2 and not H2. The three wires we used were: platinum for calibration purposes and “indirect heating” of Cst wires, and Cst with 41 and 71 knots. Input power range was 10–90 W. Up to now we have observed that the AHE, measured at the external wall of the reactor, reached the largest values (over 85 W, by comparison/extrapolation with platinum under helium, isoperibolic procedure) when the highest input power (90 W) was applied to the 71-knots Cst in D2 mixed with xenon. Further work is necessary to evaluate the effects of: I versus J, numbers of knots, gas mixtures, temperature (including electron emission from SrO: inspired by Iwamura’s experiments, and the Richardson law). results with thin, long wires (Φ = 200 μm, l = 100 cm) were generally positive and excess power (10–20%) was frequently recorded (5–10 W at 50 W input), reproducibility remained unsatisfactory. Later, we realized that iron impurities (up to 1% in the old, pre-1970 batch of Cst) enhanced AHE generation, especially at T > 500◦C. Since 2014, we added Fe(NO3)3 solutions both to the Cst sub-micrometric surfaces (during flash oxidation process),and to borosilicate glass sheaths (SIGI-Fabier; micrometric fibers, previously wetted-dried with Sr(NO3)2 solution) where wires were inserted (as electrical

In this paper a straightforward application of Occam’s razor principle to Maxwell’s equation shows that only one entity, the electro- magnetic four-potential, is at the origin of a plurality of concepts and entities in physics. The application of the so called “Lorenz gauge” in Maxwell’s equations denies the status of real physical entity to a scalar field that has a gradient in space-time with clear physical meaning: the four-current density field. The mathematical formalism of space-time Clifford algebra is introduced and then used to encode Maxwell’s equations starting only from the electromagnetic four-potential. This approach suggests a particular Zitterbewegung (ZBW) model for charged elementary particles.

This paper introduces a Zitterbewegung (ZBW) model of the electron by applying the principle of Occam’s razor to Maxwell’s equations and by introducing a scalar component in the electromagnetic field. The aim is to explain, by using simple and intuitive concepts, the origin of the electric charge and the electromagnetic nature of mass and inertia. A ZBW model of the electron is also proposed as the best suited theoretical framework to study the structure of Ultra-Dense Deuterium (UDD), the origin of anomalous heat in metal–hydrogen systems and the possibility of existence of “super-chemical” aggregates at Compton scale.

Since 2011, we introduced into LENR field, the use of a Constantan (Cnst) alloy to absorb/adsorb proper amounts of H2 or D2 and to generate thermal anomalies even at low temperatures (>200◦C). We developed a reactor with a core of sub-micrometric layered Cnst wires that produced measurable excess power (almost reproducible). Subsequently, we used fiberglass sheaths as electrical insulation and found out that this material actually improves reactor performance. In the most recent configuration, we studied the effects of adding Fe nanolayers to the Cnst wires and of including several small knots along their extension, actions that resulted in a larger excess power that grew with increasing wire temperature. We detected a new electric effect: the generation of spontaneous voltage between the ends of a floating wire in the reactor. We performed tests to study results in agreement with Inverse Rydberg Matter model by L. Holmlid.

Starting in February 2011, we studied the feasibility of new nickel-based alloys that are able to absorb significant amounts of hydrogen (H2) and/or deuterium (D2) and might, in principle, possibly generate anomalous thermal effects at temperatures >100◦C. The interest in Ni alloys comes in part because there is the possibility to use H2 instead of expensive D2. Moreover, a cross- comparison of results using H2 instead of D2 can be made and could help the understanding of the phenomena involved (and the possible nuclear origin).

We presents some improvements on the reactor presented at ICCF14 (Washington DC, August 2008): use of long-thin Pd wires with nano-coated surfaces by multi-layers of several elements, loading with D2 at pressure <10 bar; wires temperatures >500◦C; Stainless Steel (SS) reactor wall temperature <100◦C; current density along Pd up to 45 kA/cm2; voltage drop along the Pd wire up to 70 V. Mainly, the Pd wire temperature was increased up to 750◦C and was improved the temperature detection of anomalous excess heat, if any, using a SS shielded type-K thermocouple: it was put inside a small Cu tube, used as thermal equalizer, where, at the outer surface, both the “active” Pd wire and the “reference” Pt were twisted. The overall results were in agreement with that obtained in 2008 experiments and they confirm the positive effect of high temperatures in increasing the amount of anomalous energy gain. In both the experiments the fast and simple isoperibolic calorimetry was used. Main gas adopted were: He and He (60%)–Ar(40%) mixture, both for calibration purposes; D2 and D2(60%)–Ar(40%) as potentially active gas.