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NEWSCIENCENEWSCIENCENEWSCIENCE gether. Figure 2 shows the current flow NATURE OF THE GRAVITATIONAL pattern in the ring that is associated with FIELD OBTAINED these coils. There is enough information in the Sunday Telegraph report to allow us to say REPLICATING THE EXPERIMENT something about the kind of field of influ- The purpose of the above examination of ence which the Finnish team observed. this experiment is not only to understand Figure 3 shows a natural inverse square what might have happened, but to help any attractive field, and an inverse square interested researcher to repeat the experi- repulsive field. So far, the latter field has ment. Although the original experiment _ not been observed. was performed with a superconductor, it is If the experiment had produced an not immediately obvious that this feature is inverse square repulsive field, there would essential. Certainly, similar current flow have been a weight loss above the device, a patterns can be produced in ordinary con- _ weight increase below it, and a reduction in ductors. Thus, since the superconductor air pressure near it. However, no air move- may be hard to obtain, at least some mean- ment would have been produced because ingful work can be done without it. all changes in weight would have been bal- It is entirely possible that the supercon- anced exactly by the change in pressure. ducting property is an essential ingredient Such a field would be called "conserva- of the gravitational effect—and not just any tive". In a conservative field, an object superconductor but particular ones, such as _ taken around any path in this field, but the materials used by the Finnish team. If brought back to its starting point, would that is the case, then they have the field _ neither lose energy to the field nor gain any very much to themselves at this time. They energy from it. The experimenters made a may not even know exactly what it takes to point of saying that the air above the device roduce the gravitational effect—only that was constantly rising. This means that the their apparatus is somehow doing it. field was not conservative. Figure 4 shows a field which can pro- duce a pressure reduction as well as air movement. This is just the kind of field that various researchers have postulated as required to explain the behaviour of UFOs (see, for example, Aimé Michel's The Truth About Flying Saucers, p. 211). To interpret the field, the reader need only assume that, at each point, the force on any object there acts along the local field line in the direc- tion given by the arrows; and that the more crowded the lines, the stronger the force. In Figure 4 there is a weight reduction above and below the apparatus, and the apparatus itself should show the greatest Figure 4: A non-conservative gravitational field which can create a reduction. Around the apparatus the effect rising air stream and changes in air is mostly vertical and fairly uniform—an pressure. ideal propulsion field. There is talk in the article about generat- When the promised paper appears, we _ ing energy by harnessing the weight-loss will know more about what may be effect. This is entirely possible in the field required to produce a gravitational effect. I of Figure 5, but the energy may not be free. ave checked copies of this publication up This energy may have to come from the to November 1996 but have found no refer- spinning disc or the solenoids. Until we ence to this work. This is not unusual. It have proof to the contrary, it is unwise to could take the Finns a year to satisfy the assume that just because the field is not reviewers and examiners of this publication conservative, energy is therefore not con- that their work is genuine, and put their _ served in the overall action of the field. report into a form acceptable to its editors. | Magnetic induction fields are not conserva- Knowing what we know about 'the _ tive either, but energy is certainly con- cover-up’, our concern is that if the discov- served in their action. We have here an ery is genuine, the report of the Finnish experiment based almost wholly on mag- team may never appear in print at all. netic induction. To find a non-conservative diminished with distance in much the same way as above. But we don't really know. The experimenters might have wanted to keep something up their sleeves, too. gether. Figure 2 shows the current flow pattern in the ring that is associated with these coils. THE LIKELY EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Let us now consider the electromagnetic events of this experiment. First the ring is cooled down to near its superconducting temperature. I don't know much about the electrical properties of the ring material, but will assume here that it was able to conduct electricity, like metals do, before it became superconducting. If that was not the case, then the superconducting material would have been applied as a thin layer over a metal ring such as iron, and the metal would have been used to levitate and spin up the ring before the superconducting condition took over. Ordinary conductivity is needed for the three levitating solenoids to lift and spin up the ring. This action is just like what hap- pens in an ordinary AC induction motor— the type invented by Tesla. One-hundred cycle, three-phase power might have been used to do this. When excited by three- phase power, the solenoids produce the same effect as a pair of vertical bar mag- nets rotating under the ring at 6,000 rpm. Because of the electrical resistance in the ring, a kind of electrical friction is pro- duced which drags the ring around with them. At the same time, the ring is repelled upwards and levitated. As the ring is brought up to speed, it probably cools more rapidly due to gas tur- bulence. At 5,000 rpm it becomes super- conducting. When this happens, the fric- tional effect disappears but the levitating effect remains. The three-phase AC can now be switched off and replaced by an equivalent DC current in all three solenoids to maintain levitation. With the ring up to speed and supercon- ducting, it is time to perform the current- intensity measurement. At this stage the disc is slowing down due to friction from the gas inside the cryostat, which is proba- bly helium. This could take minutes, and hence allow ample time for the gravitation- al effect to be observed. During this phase, the two wraparound coils are energised with either AC or DC, probably DC. The entire ring is enfolded by this effect, and the field tends to centre the superconduct- ing ring in the solenoid. Thus it can also be used to levitate the ring, and current to the three solenoids can be switched off alto- Figure 4: A non-conservative gravitational field which can create a rising air stream and changes in air nraceiira, When the promised paper appears, we will know more about what may be required to produce a gravitational effect. I have checked copies of this publication up to November 1996 but have found no refer- ence to this work. This is not unusual. It could take the Finns a year to satisfy the reviewers and examiners of this publication that their work is genuine, and put their report into a form acceptable to its editors. Knowing what we know about 'the cover-up’, our concern is that if the discov- ery is genuine, the report of the Finnish team may never appear in print at all. APRIL - MAY 1997 NEXUS - 49