ANOMALOUS EFFECTS DURING THE INTERACTION OF SUBATMOSPHERIC D2 (H2) WITH PD FROM 900-DEGREES-C TO ROOM-TEMPERATURE

The interaction of subatmospheric (900 mbar) D2 or H-2 with Pd sheet s amples has been investigated isochorically, while the temperature was slowly decreasing from 900 to 20-degrees-C. As predicted, maximum gas absorption has been observed below 100-degrees-C, however the average D/Pd and H/Pd atomic ratios here achieved, 0.8-0.9, exceed literature provisions; furthermore anomalous metastable absorption (D/Pd congruen t-to 0.35) was tested in the range 500-200-degrees-C. CR-39 charged-pa rticle detectors after exposure to D-loaded sheets always revealed lar ge number of tracks, whereas no emission was monitored from H-loaded s amples: if the tracks have been due to D-D fusion fragments, the estim ated average fusion rate is about 10(-19) fusion per couple of deutero ns per second. Significant neutron count increase over background matc hing with D absorption was systematically observed, which fits with an average fusion rate congruent-to 10(-21) fusion per couple of deutero ns per second; such datum however is made intriguing by a similar n-ex cess measured during H absorption.