Electric discharge device for producing interactions between nuclei

Claim 1

IN AN ELECTRIC DISCHARGE DEVICE FOR PRODUCING NUCLEAR REACTIONS, AN ENVELOPE HAVING A CATHODE THEREIN, SAID CATHODE HAVING A GENERALLY SPHERICAL INNER SURFACE, AND ANODE POSITIONED INSIDE SAID CATHODE AND HAVING PORTIONS MUTUALLY DEFINING AN OPEN REGION IN THE CENTER PORTION OF SAID SPHERICAL INNER SURFACE TO PROVIDE AN EQUIPOTENTIAL FIELD THROUGHOUT SAID REGION, SAID ANODE HAVING OTHER PORTIONS RESPECTIVELY WHICH BOUND A SPACE CURRENT REGION EXTENDING DIAMETRICALLY ACROSS SAID CATHODE THROUGH THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID OPEN REGION, SAID ANODE BEING ELECTRON PERMEABLE AND FREE OF ALL TANGIBLE STRUCTURE IN SAID SPACE CURRENT REGION, MASKING ELEMENTS FIXEDLY POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID ANODE AND CATHODE AND EXTENDING INTO THE MARGINAL PORTIONS OF SAID SPACE CURRENT REGION TO INTERCEPT ELECTRONS IN SAID MARGINAL PORTIONS, ELECTRON OPTICAL MEANS INCLUDING SAID ANODE AND SAID CATHODE FOR FORMING A SPACE CURRENT WHICH OCCUPIES SAID SPACE CURRENT REGION AND CONVERGES TOWARD SAID CENTRAL PORTION, CIRCUIT MEANS FOR APPLYING AN ELECTRON-COLLECTING POTENTIAL TO SAID MASKING ELEMENTS, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING FUSION REACTIVE GAS TO SAID OPEN REGION, AND MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CATHODE AND ANODE FOR DEVELOPING SAID SPACE CURRENT TO AN INTENSITY WHICH PRODUCES A VIRTUAL ELECTRODE SURROUNDING SAID CENTRAL PORTION AND A POTENTIAL GRADIENT WHICH ACCELERATES IONS OF SAID GAS THROUGH SAID CENTRAL PORTION AT NUCLEARREACTING VELOCITIES.