https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-014-2894-3
Regular Article - Experimental Physics
Search for neutron flux generation in a plasma discharge electrolytic cell
1
Dipartimento di Fisica, Sapienza Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185 , Rome, Italy
2
INFN Sezione di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185 , Rome, Italy
3
Enea Centro Ricerche di Frascati, Via E. Fermi 45, 00044 , Frascati, Italy
4
INFN Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Via E. Fermi 40, 00044 , Frascati, Italy
* e-mail: riccardo.faccini@roma1.infn.it
Received:
4
March
2014
Accepted:
8
May
2014
Published online:
3
June
2014
Following some recent unexpected hints of neutron production in high-voltage atmospheric discharges, we present a measurement of the neutron flux in plasma discharges in electrolytic cells. We use two different types of neutron detectors, polyallyl diglycol carbonate (PADC, aka CR-39) tracers and indium disks. At 95 % C.L. we provide an upper limit of 1.5 neutrons cm
s
for the thermal neutron flux at 
cm from the center of the cell. Allowing for a higher energy neutron component, the largest allowed flux is 64 neutrons cm s. This upper limit is two orders of magnitude smaller than the signal previously claimed in an electrolytic cell plasma discharge experiment. Furthermore the behavior of the CR-39 is discussed to point out possible sources of spurious signals.
© SIF and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2014
