LENR attracts the most hard-line scientists whose curiosity is driven purely by the data. This is the case with Dr. Alexandrov. Speaking with him reveals an experimental scientist who deeply believes in the scientific process. His skill and devotion came across firmly as he detailed his journey from working with semiconductors to the less certain path of a cold fusion scientist, led by one thing alone: the hard-hitting conviction of experimental proof. Dr. Alexandrov readily offered a look at his experiment, explaining in fascinating detail what he believed he was seeing and the reasons for his optimism in LENR's promise.

Dr. Alexandrov’s background as a scientist is in the field of semiconductors, where the bulk of his research focused on increasing the epitaxial growth of nitride semiconductors, which you might find in Christmas lights. While conducting his research, Dr. Alexandrov thought of including deuterium (an isotope of hydrogen) into his nitrogen plasma gas mixture, expecting it to increase the epitaxial growth rate for his semiconductors. Along the way, he found strange results. Diligently, he eliminated confounding factors and concluded that he had found significant energy and helium isotopes released when using pure deuterium, which pointed to something theoretically unaccounted for - cold fusion.

Dr. Alexandrov did not set out to do the controversial; it was just pure scientific serendipity. It is less of a “Eureka!” and more of a “That’s weird” moment that can enrapture a scientist, setting them on a brand new path, no matter how controversial it may seem. For a while, cold fusion had been considered controversial. As a result, this field made popular by Pons and Fleischmann received very little support for many years, much to the disappointment of Dr. Alexandrov who was drawn to Pons and Fleischmann’s experiment because of its simplicity, and how much promise it showed for a new and unlimited energy source.

“I had some kind of feeling, I don’t know why.”

And so, in 2017, after stumbling upon excess heat while working on his semi-conductor experiment, he started his effective research on LENR.
“The experimental outcomes were weird and very strange at that time.”

Dr. Alexandov provided a video of his experiment. A red wire (constantan) is coiled around an alumina rod in a chamber. An external A/C current heats the wire. The color of the wire corresponds visually to its temperature. Its redness corresponds to 640 - 700oC. The alumina rod is not visible, meaning its temperature is below 550oC, and the chamber does not glow. This is what it looks like before deuterium gas is injected into the chamber. The temperature of the gas is room temperature. Upon adding deuterium, the color of the wire changes, and a glow appears in the chamber; the deuterium has the effect of cooling the specimen, so when injection of the gas stops, the color of the wire becomes a bright yellow, and the glow of the chamber is at its maximum but then the glow in the chamber begins to reduce, and the wire return to its original dull red color as lack of deuterium ends the reaction. A Geiger counter is part of the experiment, and it can be heard in the video detecting gamma rays (nuclear radiation).

The positive outcomes of Dr. Alexandrov’s experiments fill him with a sense of optimism about LENR. It validated his feelings about the promise of cold fusion, even when scientists working on it were viewed as pariahs. Dr. Alexandrov has always respected LENR and believed in its legitimacy.

“The fact that there were mistakes in the early experiments does not mean that the research is illegitimate.”

One of the issues critics raised about Pons and Fleischmann’s experiments was that they were not replicable. Still, as Dr. Alexandrov explains, there are several reasons why this is the case, including the fact that the constantan wire (the site of fusion in Dr. Alexandrov’s experiment) requires a specific temperature for the reaction to happen. So, for the experiment to happen, it must be heated externally to at least 500oC to trigger electrical screening by heavy electrons. When this is done, the ratio of output power to input is about 16 (for context, the output-to-input ratio of energy from a wind turbine is 3 - 18, depending on weather conditions).

The challenges that come with cold fusion experiments do not undermine the field's legitimacy, which is grounded in sound physics and theoretical explanations.

“Negative outcomes are as important as positive outcomes.”

As Dr. Alexandrov explains, challenges in research should spark more curiosity and determination to solve those problems, so scientists must keep an open mind.

“We cannot ignore the fact that there is significant energy released…we cannot ignore the fact that the released energy is not of electrical origin, not chemical origins, or any other origins, and this energy can be explained by fusion reactions in the constantan wire…We cannot just say it is not possible to be done. This is science. Many discoveries are based on strange occurrences that we must pay attention to even if they are strange.”
For Dr. Alexandrov, the feeling he had at the beginning of his journey into cold fusion remains. He remains committed to overcoming the experimental challenges in cold fusion. He believes that nanomaterials and adequate nanoengineering will reduce or eliminate the need to heat constantan externally for LENR to take place. One thing that is needed is a prototype that shows cold fusion technology in action, and that is part of what Dr. Alexandrov is focused on at the moment, along with researching other materials that can yield better LENR results.

As Dr. Alexandrov sees it, his experiments aim to create a global energy source that is free of emissions and fossil fuels. Dr. Alexandrov wants to develop a prototype that can find applications from single-household use, to larger-scale possibilities. The added advantages to this technology, pointed out by Dr. Alexandrov, are that there is no radioactive waste, it provides a portable energy source, and it is independent of weather conditions. He believes that cold fusion can be an alternative to fossil fuels in the immediate future, a replacement for coal used in thermal electrical stations which use heat to generate electricity, an inexpensive and ecologically friendly source of energy for off-grid and remote locations, a replacement for turbine engines used in ships and even nuclear reactor engines like those used in rocket ships.

If LENR succeeds, electricity all around the globe, energy for industry, transportation, and every use you can think of - including the Christmas lights that use Dr. Alexandrov’s semiconductors, might be powered by clean, inexhaustible, emissions and waste-free energy.

Like so many scientists, Dr. Alexandrov follows scientific instincts despite sometimes facing challenges like lack of support, to make this hope a reality.

“Scientists and researchers have to pay attention to details in every experiment...to have open minds and be able to accept experimental outcomes the way they are.”

Dr. Alexandrov believes the future of this field is bright because of its experimental achievements and multidisciplinary nature.
“Where the major positive discoveries can be found in science is on the borders between different fields. Here we should expect significant achievements.”

When LENR becomes a viable energy source on a global scale, it will be because of the curiosity and devotion to the scientific process by researchers such as Dr. Alexandrov, who know how to “keep the feeling” in the face of criticism and scientific challenges.