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The Pixies of Avalon: N.A. Reiter, L.L. Schillig Background: In 1999, we discovered references from the 1970’s concerning a purported anti-gravity or weight
alteration anomaly discovered by Thomas Townsend Brown, who is more famously known among the New Science community
for his work with electrical field propulsion. In a little known document, available on the Thomas Townsend Brown
Family Website In a series of experiments in our lab, we were able to repeat this effect to our satisfaction by ultrasonically agitating sealed tubes containing various powders. Ultimately, however, we found evidence that the weight loss/recovery effect we were seeing (typically between 1 and 20 milligrams) was likely due to warm air buoyancy or convective air current around the ampoules used. We set the experiments and the concepts aside and tentatively considered the case closed. However, there were two somewhat enigmatic aspects of the effect that remained in our minds. First, the weight loss/recovery effect was more dramatic for a given material when a finer-grained version of said material was agitated. For example, 30 micron Al2O3 media gave a much greater magnitude of effect than 1 to 2 mm irregular shot. Secondly, the effect went away entirely when small amounts of water were added to the material being agitated, despite the heating action of the ultrasonic bath which we presumed was the energy source for the thermal artifacts we felt were behind the effect. Our Initial Nano-particle Observations: In summer of 2001, we procured for general experimentation a 100 gram quantity of TiO2 nano-particle media from Altair Technologies in Nevada. The TiNano40 - RPC-D product is a stable, white, ultra-fine titania powder with an average particle diameter of between 35 and 50 nm (350 to 500 angstroms). In early December of 2001, it occurred to us that perhaps we had been too hasty in our write-off of the Brown "Tribo-gravitic" effect. Might there have been some genuine anomaly present that had been partially obscured by a thermal artifact? We had pondered why an enhanced effect had been seen with more finely divided materials. On a whim, we took a quantity of about 80 grams of our TiNano nano-particle media and placed it in a polycarbonate bottle with a vapor seal. The bottle was weighed on our Ainsworth CL-204 Digital balance with a resolution of .1 milligrams. We then took the bottle and vigorously and randomly shook it for about 30 seconds. Upon re-weighing, we found that the bottle was approximately 2 milligrams lighter. The weight loss did not appear to recover. We suspected that perhaps a few nano-particles had leaked past the seal. Several wraps of Kapton tape were added to the lid interface to make a secondary seal. The procedure was repeated, and again - a weight loss of 1.3 milligrams was seen. We repeated the operation a number of times and tried weighing the bottle on our mechanical Stanton Unimatic balance. While the weight loss amount varied, each shaking procedure would induce a further (and apparently permanent) weight loss of between .2 and 2 milligrams. Were we losing discrete amounts of the media through small fissures or cracks in the plastic bottle? Or was something very peculiar happening? Our Further Experiments: On 10 December, we took about 20 grams of the TiNano media and sealed it into a Pyrex ampoule of 25mm OD and 120mm length. Before filling and sealing, the ampoule was rinsed with DI water, MeOH, and was oven dried for 2 hours. We then filled the ampoule and allowed a further drying period at 200C for 30 minutes. After sealing, we performed a visual inspection to confirm the integrity of our glass seal points. The ampoule was allowed to cool to room temperature. We then wrapped it completely in aluminum foil to provide a shield against electrostatic charges that might build up from agitation of the dielectric TiO2. We weighed the ampoule assembly and found a baseline weight of 56.7484 grams. The ampoule was then shaken violently by hand for 1-minute periods. We then performed post shake weighing on both the Ainsworth and Stanton balances (Since the Stanton balance is mechanical, we considered ½ division, or .5milligram, to be the smallest useful unit there.) Essentially, the effect remained present, with the post weight dropping each time by amounts varying from between .1 to .8 milligrams. On 11 December, we placed about 40 grams of an aqueous suspended TiNano 40 (procured at the same time as the dry version) in a double-sealed bottle and ran through the weighing-shaking-weighing protocol. In the case of the suspended nano-particles, we saw NO discernible net weight changes! Thus, it would appear as though the effect manifests only with discrete (dry) solid phase nano-particles. On 12 December, we disclosed the basics of the effect to Scott Little and Hal Puthoff of Earthtech in Austin, Texas. In the past, we have informally collaborated with Earthech and consider them to be a highly valuable resource on all matters involving Quantum Vacuum Engineering, propulsion, and new energy conversion schemes. Scott replied with an interesting possibility tendered, pending better confirmation - the possibility of macroscopic quantum tunneling! This had not occurred to us, but it certainly appeared to represent a viable option. Could kinetically randomized nano-particles tunnel through a glass or plastic ampoule? This was explored. On 14 December, we took our larger sealed plastic bottle and weighed it on our Stanton balance. (120.512g) We then proceeded to give the bottle a 30-second manual agitation over an 8" by 8" piece of clean black laser light absorbing paper. Upon re-weighing, we found a 1.5 milligram loss. The laser absorber, however, was clean. This operation was repeated several times. No sign of TiNano media was to be found on the paper. After some deliberation, we considered the possibility that if some nano-particles were tunneling, then enough of their kinetic energy might remain on the outboard side of the ampoule to project further away than the eight inch square of paper would catch. We then took our sealed bottle and placed it inside of a zip-locked plastic baggie. A 30 second agitation was given, and upon re-weighing, we found that a little over 1 milligram of weight had been lost. However, to our visual discernment, no nano-particle media appeared between the bottle and the baggie. One might argue that if selected nano-particles were tunneling through the bottle, then could they not have tunneled through the outer baggie as well? Possibly. Our intuition would suggest that by probability, though, most of the tunneled particles should have stayed inside the outer barrier. If nothing else, these observations bolstered the argument against the effect being due to an artifact of unforeseen leakage of a conventional sort through micro-cracks or flaws in ampoule or bottle. During the experiments with the black laser absorber, a startling observation was made that could imply the presence of quantum mechanical principles at work. We believe that we may have witnessed the Quantum Zeno Effect. Essentially, we found that when the agitation of the bottle over the laser absorber was performed whilst watching intently, the magnitude of the post weight loss was either null or reduced. Shaking whilst not looking, even over the black absorber, produced a weight loss. This effect was repeated four times on 14 December, and we would be remiss if we did not state that it led to a considerable amount of mental consternation! We recognize that this is an incredibly controversial statement and have made it a point to continue examining further experimental results with this material in light of it. Overall, the impression one receives is that if the weight loss is due to an anomalous departure of nano-particle media from the bottle, it is not a short-range re-location. By 18 December, we had observed that the repeated shaking and weighing trials did seem to be having a cumulative effect on the overall sample weight. On 20 December, we recorded the total weight of the sealed polycarbonate bottled sample to be 120.488 grams. A suggestion was made by Dr. Puthoff of EarthTech to try placing the bottled nano-particle media on an automated shaker and allowing a long period of agitation to transpire, thus producing a visible or total diminishing of the TiNano 40. We followed through with this and made the following observations:
This experiment led us to reconsider the role of potential artifacts, primarily subtle thermal effects. From 15 December to 27 December, we tried a variety of tests intended to induce weight alteration artifacts by heating. The outcome of this testing was the confirmation that a pre-heating of the bottle interior by an infrared lamp or cooling by placing in a freezer did shift the net weight of the bottle by up to 10 milligrams. However, we also observed that even in these conditions, the weight loss by agitation of the TiNano was apparent at its typical level. We were also able to confirm that cupping the sample bottle in a bare hand for 60 seconds without agitation did not produce any observable deviation upon re-weighing. We continued to question the essential character of the weight loss. Was it truly permanent, implying either an anomalous departure of mass from the bottle (quantum tunneling? teleportation?), or was it a weight alteration requiring an enormously long time (hours to days) to return to normal? By 4 January, 2002, our opinion was that the weight changes appeared to be partially recoverable. A typical shaking might reduce the sample weight by 2 milligrams. If one locked the stirrup of the balance to relieve strain and came back four hours later, one might see that perhaps half of the value has returned - leaving the sample with a net permanent loss of about a milligram! There was no way to deny the fact that the total weight of the TiNano media and polycarbonate sample bottle was gradually diminishing. Another valuable clue was derived by testing different finely divided media. We used a fresh polycarbonate bottle with vapor seal and used a protocol consisting of weighing - 60 second agitation - re-weighing. Among the different materials tested were:
Comparable weights of all materials were used. We found that out of these, the only material that experienced a noticeable weight alteration was the corn starch. In magnitude, the weight loss for an equivalent starting weight seemed to be typically about half the value of the TiNano. However, this may provide an avenue for those who wish to replicate the effect and do not have the ability to procure titania nano-particles. This also further demonstrates that something truly related to size scale is going on! We found assorted references on-line to the average size of corn starch grains as lying between .5 and 5 microns. If this is so, then we would safely be able to say that out of the materials tested, the corn starch was likely the closest to the TiNano in grain size. Two other observations merit reporting here. First, we were able to conclude, after many test cycles, that the magnitude of weight loss appears to be proportional to the general magnitude of changes in acceleration - the vigorousness and abruptness of shaking. Additionally, it appears as though maximum effects are achieved by maximizing the randomness of the orientation! An orderly linear oscillation by hand does not produce as great a weight alteration as a wild, chaotic shifting of directions and amplitudes. Secondly, we note that the amplitude of the effect appears to be subject to further unknown influences outside of those mentioned already. Two mornings in early January were logged where regardless of the vigor of shaking the weight loss effect appeared to be gone. It returned later in the day. No appreciable changes in temperature, barometric pressure, or humidity in the lab could be cited as correlating. Another factor may relate to the experience related earlier dealing with a possible observational influence. We have continued to witness this sort of an influence. While we are currently focusing on trying to verify this admittedly difficult aspect, we will state for the record that there appears to be an enhancement of the weight loss if a particular mental state is maintained during the agitation. The details of this state are being clarified, but in short it is one of chaotic anxiety or mental agitation - roughly the consciousness - equivalent of the physical action being provided to the media! As this report is being tendered, further examination of this enigmatic effect continues. Hypothesis and Discussion: If we are to say that the enigmatic results of these experiments are genuine, then what basis could exist to explain them? One turns first to historical observations and precedent. As mentioned previously, Thomas Townsend Brown may have observed this effect or variations of it in his experiments in the early 1970’s. However, Brown was clearly perplexed by the nature of what he saw and confessed to have no theoretical opinion of it apart from what might relate to his ideas concerning rock-electricity and massive dielectric transducers of gravity waves. In December of 2001, however, we did find one other reference to (apparently) our nano-particle effect - one that may offer a valuable insight! In a paper from 1967 by the Soviet lunar astronomer and time theorist, Nikolai Kozyrev Kozyrev makes an interesting statement near the end of his paper. He mentions an experiment used to illustrate the effects of a disruption of time energy flow into or out of mass. This experiment bears a striking resemblance to our effect. Kozyrev claims that a mass that is oscillated along an axis with considerable magnitude will experience a temporary weight loss. This weight alteration may be seen if one is nimble enough to place the mass quickly onto a balance. Kozyrev furthermore states that there exists a period of time during which the weight of the mass will re-normalize or return to its starting value. This period appeared to be dependent on the density of the mass. High-density masses such as lead would re-normalize within a few seconds at most. Wood or cellulose would take up to over a minute. If we consider that the virtual density of nano-particle media is incredibly low, might we consider that Kozyrev's weight return time for such a material could be in hours? At this time, we make the following statements concerning our observations:
Primarily leaning on statements 3, 4, and 6 above, we offer a model for the effect based on the fundamental principle of Quantum Uncertainty. It is our hypothesis that under certain ambient conditions, nano-particle matter could display peculiar properties and high levels of quantum uncertainty. While normal aggregates of solid phase matter typically do not display uncertainty, we suggest that chaotically agitated volumes of nano-particles may. We furthermore suggest that when nano-particles are violently agitated in a chaotic or nonlinear fashion, uncertainty for both position and momentum may become so great that the nano-particle wave function collapses entirely, mass is driven to zero, and the nano-particle effectively vanishes. In other instances, there may exist a state of near-collapse that may be able to stabilize somehow with time, thus returning a nano-particle mass back to a state of "certainty". Yet another possibility could exist in which the uncertain particle might spontaneously and randomly teleport! Given this mechanism, applied probabilistically to a comparatively large, loose aggregate of nano-particles, we would predict that after a period of violent, chaotic agitation, a small number of the total aggregate will vanish - some permanently, some with a chance to return. The potential for a "near-collapse" raises a number of speculations itself. If a particle or mass existed in this state, would it be somewhat ghost-like? Would the influence or coupling of gravitons be disrupted, thus contributing to an overall weight loss? We freely confess that this model or hypothesis is still not firmly constructed. Our primary focus for now remains empirical. Only further experimentation will allow us to construct a proper model - our own as well as those replications that we hope will occur with the dissemination of this report! In closing, we would like to acknowledge the help and input of Scott Little and Dr. Hal Puthoff of EarthTech International and George Hathaway of Toronto. Additional credit is also given to Altair Technologies of Reno, Nevada, for their generous policy of providing research samples of their products. References
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, Brown described what he called a
"tribo-gravitic effect". This effect concerned the anomalous weight loss/recovery of granulated dielectric media -
particularly finely divided clays and oxides when agitated for periods of time in sealed vessels.
, the author describes some of the experimental evidence acquired
supporting his theoretical model of a universal time energy. In more recent years, Kozyrev's model has been
considered a viable alternative model for dark energy or the Zero Point Field.