Wednesday 4 April 2007

Hiddink's One Terminal Capacitor

Some time ago I was made aware of an overlooked invention from the 1970s, seemingly the result of a thought experiment, perhaps one of Faraday's himself, concerning the effects of turning a normal 2-terminal capacitor into a single terminal version. A description of the circumstances of the invention and its consequences in the words of the inventor (Joseph Hiddink) may be found here. It seems to have the potential (pun intended) for several applications - from the patent description:

Another object of the invention is to provide the means for producing high potentials which can be positive or negative in nature and which are adapted for use in the study of nuclear structure and nuclear reactions.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved means for constuction and operation of a high power particle generator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved device for generating potentials of either positive or negative nature of such magnitudes so as to attract, bend or repulse radiation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide novel and improved construction of a device for generation of potentials of either positive or negative nature, to attract or repulse mass.

A further object of the present invention is to provide novel and improved means and its construction for making an inexpensive, yet effective Intense Neutron Generator with possibility for slow to fast neutron emission.


It now remains for someone with sufficiently deep pockets and well-shielded facilities to replicate it, as the inventor is now quite old and unable to fund further experiments himself.