Abstract: Some embodiments include systems to generate transient, elevated effective mass electron quasiparticles for transmuting radioactive fission products. Other embodiments of related systems and methods also are disclosed.

Abstract: Use of adsorption, desorption, particle injection and other means to excite electrons to a region on their band structure diagram near an inflection point were the transient effective mass is elevated proportional to the inverse of curvature. These transient heavy electrons may then cause transmutations similar to transmutations catalyzed by the muons used by Alvarez at UC Berkeley during 1956 in liquid hydrogen. The heavy electrons may also control chemical reactions.

Abstract: In some embodiments, energy is released by converting the bonding potential energy between two electropositive masses capable of forming a stable bond between them into the kinetic energy of an electron quasiparticle initially captured between them by the coulomb potential. The electron quasiparticles form transient bonds with delocalized ions and other reactants in or on a reaction particle where reaction rates and branches are controlled by the choice of electron quasiparticle effective mass. Methods and apparatus for stimulating and controlling such association reactions are shown and described. Thermionic and semiconductor methods and apparatus convert the electron quasiparticle energy directly into electricity. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: A binding reaction creates transient, elevated effective mass electron quasiparticles as surrogates for a heavier muon, to cause muon-catalyzed fusion transmutations with the surrogates and creates a composition of matter that enables neutralizing certain radioactive waste nuclei. Tailoring a junction of a device enhances the control of the surrogate's transient effective mass.

Abstract: A transient distribution of electron quasiparticles with elevated effective mass is created by adding a targeted range of both crystal momentum and electron energy in a conductor to place electrons into regions of the electronic band structure diagram having a chosen, desired curvature. Effective mass scales as the inverse of curvature. The quasiparticles form transient bonds with delocalized ions and other reactants in or on a reaction particle where reaction rates and branches are controlled by the choice of effective mass.

Abstract: In some embodiments, energy is released by converting the bonding potential energy between two electropositive masses capable of forming a stable bond between them into the kinetic energy of an electron quasiparticle initially captured between them by the coulomb potential. The electron quasiparticles form transient bonds with delocalized ions and other reactants in or on a reaction particle where reaction rates and branches are controlled by the choice of electron quasiparticle effective mass. Methods and apparatus for stimulating and controlling such association reactions are shown and described. Thermionic and semiconductor methods and apparatus convert the electron quasiparticle energy directly into electricity. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: A method and a device for converting energy uses chemical reactions in close proximity to or on a surface to convert a substantial fraction of the available chemical energy of the shorter lived energized products, such as vibrationally excited chemicals and hot electrons, directly into a useful form, such as longer lived charge carriers in a semiconductor. The carriers store the excitation energy in a form that may be converted into other useful forms, such as electricity, nearly monochromatic electromagnetic radiation or carriers for stimulating other surface reactions.

Abstract: An energy converter reacts hydrocarbons and air on a catalyst configuration to produce a population inversion. A photovoltaic system may extract the radiating energy, and a laser system may extract a significant fraction of the reaction energy in the form of coherent radiation. The flooding of the catalyst adsorption sites with fuel and the choice of catalyst predisposes the adsorbing oxygen molecules to create mono-atomic oxygen hot-atoms, which deposit the considerable energy of oxygen adsorption directly into a reaction channel of adjacent, adsorbed and simple fuel radicals, thereby producing simple, energetic product molecules, concentrating the energy in one or a few modes, and strongly favoring inverted populations. A solid state method to stimulate precursor chemisorbed specie dissociation accelerates the reaction rates, providing a method to greatly intensify pulsed power output, increase efficiency, and to facilitate nano-scale and micro-scale thermal energy heat rejection processes.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for extracting energy is provided. In one aspect the method includes using chemical reactions to generate vibrationally excited molecules, such as high-quantum-number-vibrationally-excited gas molecules in a region. The vibration energy in the vibrationally excited molecules is converted into hot electrons when the excited molecules contact a conductor. A geometry is provided so that the excited molecules may travel, diffuse or wander into a conductor before loosing a useful fraction of the vibrational energy. Optionally, the generating and the converting process may be thermally separated, at least in part. The short lived hot electrons are converted into longer lived entities such as carriers and potentials in a semiconductor, where the energy is converted into a useful form.