POSSIBLE PRODUCTION OF PHOTONS DURING A REMOTE VIEWING TASK: PRELIMINARY RESULTS
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POSSIBLE PRODUCTION OF PHOTONS DURING A REMOTE
VIEWING TASK: PRELIMINARY RESULTS
G. Scott Hubbard
E. C. May
H. E. Puthoff
SRI International
Menlo Park, CA
We conducted a conceptual replication of work published by the People's Republic of China
(PRC) in which it was claimed that anomalous signals from photomultiplier tubes are observed
during sessions in which "exceptional vision " was successfully employed to identify concealed
Chinese language characters. Specifically, we experimentally examined the possibility that light
is emitted in the vicinity of correctly identified remote viewing (RV) target material. A state-of-
the-art, ambient temperature, photon counting system was used to monitor the target material
(35mm slides of National Geographic photographs). We collected a total of 22 sessions from
four of the best viewers in a concurrent RV program. The statistical measure derived from the
photon counting apparatus that best represented the data collection used by the PRC work
showed a significant correlation with the RV results (p ~ 0.035). That is, when the remote
viewing was good, there was an increase in the signal detected by the photon counting system.
When the viewing was less accurate, a smaller signal was detected by the counting system. One
viewer demonstrated independently significant correlations (p S .007 and p < .022) between
his/her viewing and photon counting signals. Out of the 22 sessions, we recorded two which
contained a photon counting anomaly that resembled those reported by the Chinese. In each
case, the anomaly was detected with a signal-to-noise ratio of about 20-40:1. This ratio is far
below the 100-1000:1 reported by the Chinese, however other characteristics that we observed
were in agreement with their work. Our results indicate that we observed a weak effect that
supports the PRC claims.
INTRODUCTION
In 1982, new reports of PK experiments by physicists in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC)
emerged (Chinese Acad. of Sci., 1982; Yonjie and Hongyhang, 1982). The two papers cited contain
brief descriptions of experiments in which individuals with so-called "exceptional vision" affected
physical systems (film, photomultiplier tubes, and plants) when correctly identifying Chinese language
characters hidden with the test apparatus.
As the Chinese themselves point out, the photomultiplier (PM) tube has the best sensitivity,
stability and response to transients of the three systems examined. For these reasons, we concluded
that a replication of the PRC experiments using SRI International RV participants and a PM tube af-
forded the most promising test of their claims.
Specifically, the Chinese reported that PM tube count rates of 102 - 103 greater than background
rates have been produced during "exceptional vision." Their signal discriminators were set to produce
a background of about 15 counts/sec. Although the Chinese claim to have eliminated sources of ex-
perimental artifact such as light leaks, electomagnetic interference etc., at least one report states that
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individuals "must touch the surface of the light-proof material" or the effect is not produced. This
procedure seemed such an obvious potential source of artifact that we excluded touching entirely in
our investigations. The PRC experiments also reported that the anomalous signals produced during
exceptional vision were principally large amplitude pulses which appeared rapidly ( -1 sec rise time).
EXPERIMENTAL METHOD
To test these reports, we devised a photomultiplier tube light detector system and a remote view-
ing procedure which paralleled the Chinese efforts. We selected 35mm slides of National Geographic
sites as our target material rather than symbolic characters.
A light-tight slide holder which could be opened and closed easily was fabricated and fitted to
the end flange of the PM tube housing. The slide was positioned within approximately 1 cm of the
active surface of the tube.
The PM tube was selected to have an active area equal to or greater than the film area of the
slide. In addition, we required the tube to be sufficiently broadband and sensitive so as to equal or
surpass the device used by the Chinese. We also required the dark count (background) rate to be as
low as possible at or near room temperature. (Very low background count rates can be achieved by
cooling PM tubes to -20 ?C but the additional complexity, expense and deviation from the PRC ex-
periments prevented us from using cooling in this series of investigations.)
The output of the PM tube was processed and displayed by state-of-the-art instrumentation
used in nuclear radiation spectroscopy. We selected the multi-channel scaling (MCS) mode of signal
processing as the most appropriate for our experiment. In this type of data acquisition, the amplified
pulses from the PM tube were counted for a specific length of time (.9 secs) and the resulting total
was stored and displayed. A histogram was then built up showing the count rate of the tube over the
duration of a single session (-.1S mins.).
Since the voltage output of a photomultiplier tube is directly proportional to the intensity of the
incident light source we decided to set two "windows" on the PM tube signal. One window displayed
the entire voltage range output which is dominated by numerous small amplitude background pulses.
We designated this window Region I. The window for Region II was adjusted to show only large volt-
age pulses. In this fashion, we were able to monitor the system for either of two possible outcomes:
? A significant increase in the number of small amplitude pulses.
? An increase in the frequency of relatively rare large amplitude events.
The Chinese claim that an individual with "exceptional vision" produces an anomalous signal from
the PM tube consisting of mainly large amplitude pulses.
Since the PM tube was in total darkness and no light emitting materials were included in the
sample chamber, all background counts were due to thermionic emission at the photocathode or
dynodes (Knoll, 1979). A photon which strikes the photocathode will produce a signal which is indis-
tinguishable from that resulting from thermionic emission. Therefore, one could not say conclusively
in our experiment whether a statistically significant increase in count rate (above background) is due
to enhanced thermionic emission or photon production. For simplicity in this report, we have refered
to the putative effect as "photon production", and have calculated our results assuming that photons
are striking the photocathode in the PM tube.
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A multichannel analyzer (MCA) with three inputs received, sorted and stored the signals coming
from the two windows. A third input was connected to a signal generator which could be triggered by
a microswitch in the adjoining RV room. That switch was used to mark the beginning and end of
data taking in the RV session. Details of the session are contained in the methodology section. A
schematic of the equipment used is shown in Figure 1.
Following an experimental session, the data collected by the MCA was transferred to cassette
tape. The cassette was subsequently read into a computer for analysis (see Photomultiplier Tube
Analysis below). The count rates during control periods in our two regions of interest were ap-
proximately 300 sec -1 and 10 sec-1 respectively. Since a single photon can produce a count, we
were sensitive to an increase of approximately 1 photons, where N is the count rate. This figure
would correspond to about 50-60 excess counts in Region I and as few as 3-4 excess counts in
Region II.
We exercised considerable care in reducing the sources of experimental artifact. The PM tube
housing and slide holder were light-tight and constructed of metal which was grounded and shielded
against RF, magnetic and electrostatic fields. In at least one Chinese report, the light proofing of the
PM tube was accomplished by using only layers of black cloth. Our entire PM tube housing was fur-
ther enclosed in a standard photographers film changing bag so that the slide selection and insertion
could be accomplished in the dark.
We found it necessary to isolate and filter the 110V AC power to the experimental set up. Line
transients produced by nearby heavy machinery caused spurious peaks to appear in the PM tube out-
put until suitable filters and surge suppressors were installed.
The slides which served as the targets during the session were prepared from a pool of 112 Na-
tional Geographic photographs. Each slide was placed in a separate opaque envelope marked with an
identification number. Prior to each session, four slides were selected from the target pool by a ran-
dom number generator. All four slide envelopes were placed in the changing bag with the PM tube
housing and shuffled. One envelope was selected, the slide removed and placed into the special hol-
der which covers the PM tube. This procedure ensured that the slide selected was unknown to the
viewer and experimenter.
The photomultiplier tube and its preamplifier were both positioned in the same room used for
the RV session. Connecting cables for signals, high voltage, etc., were run through a utility access
space into an adjoining room. Located in this adjacent area was the instrumentation for amplifying
and counting the PM tube signals. The viewer and experimenter always accompanied each other
when it was necessary to enter the instrumentation room during the course of a session. At all other
times that room was locked.
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PREAMPLIFIER _ 1
SWITCH
PULSER
All Amplitude
Pulses
SINGLE
CHANNEL
ANALYZER
2
SINGLE
CHANNEL
ANALYZER
MULTICHANNEL
-I
Session Marker
Pulses
ANALYZER AND DISPLAY
Tape Cassette
I/O
High Amplitude
Pulses
Figure 1 SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM FOR THE PHOTON PRODUCTION EXPERIMENT
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Prior to the arrival of a viewer, the experimenter selected the four slides, checked the equip-
ment for proper functioning, shuffled the envelopes and loaded the target slide. To achieve a rela-
tively constant background pulse rate, we always cooled the exterior of the PM housing and changing
bag with a plastic bag of ice.
This moderate form of cooling was necessary since the RV session room would get quite warm
during afternoon sessions. A rise in temperature to about 26 ?C was sufficient to increase the back-
ground count rate a factor of two or three over that observed in the morning session. Cooling with
ice allowed us to maintain the temperature of the PM tube near 20 ?C for all sessions.
After the arrival of the viewer, three minutes of data were collected with no one in the RV
room. (The first minute. was always discarded in subsequent analysis because of transients occurring
when voltage was again applied to the PM tube after installing a slide.) The viewer and experimenter
then entered the RV room and carried out an RV session. Each time the viewer was ready to give a
response in the RV session, the experimenter marked that time with a press of a microswitch. Closing
the switch briefly sent a series of TTL logic pulses which were registered in the MCA memory. After
the response the experimenter again closed the switch for 1-2 secs. These two bursts of pulses clearly
defined the period of psychic effort for future analysis of the PM tube output. Following the session,
the viewer and experimenter once again returned to the instrumentation room where the accumulated
data was read out into a cassette tape. Once this process was begun, the pair returned to the RV
room where the target slide was removed from its holder and displayed to the viewer.
Following the departure of the viewer, the experimenter rechecked the apparatus and left it
ready for the next session. Following the manufacturer's recommendations all the principal hardware
(PM tube, amplifier, MCA, etc.) remained on continuously. The data tape remained in place until
filled (-15 sessions) then was removed for further analysis.
Figure 2. shows typical data recorded from the photomultiplier (PM) tube during a 15 minute
RV session. Three spectra are displayed concurrently. The top spectrum displays all pulses from the
PM tube, regardless of their amplitude, that were detected during each 0.9 second counting period.
The middle spectrum displays only those pulses, detected in the same 0.9 second interval, whose
amplitude exceeded a preset threshold which was adjusted to eliminate all but the largest of pulses.
The remaining histogram represents RV session dependent timing markers. Each spectrum has a
common x-axis of 1024 channels (0.9 seconds/channel). For the the all amplitude pulse case, the
average counting rate was about 180 counts per channel (0.9 second). The deviation about the mean
(?15 counts) is ordinarily due to random variations in thermionic emission within the PM tube and is
a well understood phenomenon. Average rates in the high-amplitude spectrum were about 5/channel.
The analysis of these data proceded as follows. For each spectrum, a control (baseline) period
was designated to be the two minutes of data collected one minute prior to the first RV time marker.
This period occured when the PM tube was unattended. The data in this region were fit with a
straight line by the least squares technique. For each possible number of counts greater than or less
than that represented by the fitted straight line, a histogram of the number of channels was con-
structed. For example, assume the straight line fit has zero slope (i.e. the same value regardless of
the channel number). Further assume this value is 100 counts. First, we count the number of chan-
nels in the region of interest that contain 100 counts. Next, we count the number of channels that
contain 101 counts. We continue this process until all observed channels have been evaluated. The
resulting histogram approximates a normal distribution. In the analysis of the base line region, a nor-
mal distribution, with mean ?o and standard distribution ono, is fit to the base line histogram.
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FIGURE 2 TYPICAL PM TUBE OUTPUT DURING AN RV SESSION
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The RV timing markers displayed in the bottom histogram of Figure 2 represent the begining
and end of "target access" periods. From our analysis of the quality of the remote viewing, we have
evidence that there was contact with the target material during these periods.
The analysis for each RV marker pair is the same. If there was no psychoenergetic effect, we
assume that a normal distribution, calculated as above, will be the same in the base line period as in
the RV period. While there are a number of statistical measures for comparing two distributions, we
chose to count the number of channels (time periods of 0.9 seconds) in the RV period that contained
a significantly greater number of PM pulses. We chose this particular technique to be consistant with
the PRC claims that the interaction causes an increase in the count rate. We also counted the num-
ber of channels that contained a significant decrease of PM pulses. The number of pulses required
for significance in a channel in either direction is given by:
counts required = y ? 1.65 x vo
y=a+b x t
Where t is the channel number in the region and a and b are the intercept and slope of the best
fit line for the region respectively. uO is the empirical standard deviation found in the control region.
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Four viewers contributed 6 sessions each in the photon production experiment. The viewers
were selected on the basis of good performance in concurrent Rol training programs. Each RV ses-
sion was judged using a figure-of-merit analysis (FM). The FM is defined as the product of two
measures: accuracy and reliability. The accuracy of an RV response is the fraction of the target
material which is described correctly. Reliability is the fraction of the response which is correct (May,
Humphrey, Mathews and Puthoff, 1985). Tables 1-4 show the RV results for each session.
Table 1
REMOTE VIEWING RESULTS FOR VIEWER 177
Session
Figure-of-Merit
2001.hs
0.457*
2002.hs
0.250
2003.hs
0.356
2004.hs
0.300
2005.hs
0.125
2006.hs
0.167
Average 0.276
Table 2
REMOTE VIEWING RESULTS FOR VIEWER 309
Session
Figure-of-Merit
2001.wm
0.125
2002.wm
0.167
2003.wm
0.257
2004.wm
0.300
2005.wm
0.036
2006.wm
0.048
Average 0.155
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Table 3
REMOTE VIEWING RESULTS FOR VIEWER 558
Session
Figure-of-Merit
2001.br
0.286
2002.br
0.100
2003.br
0.214
2004.br
0.225
2005.br
0.680
2006.br
0.161
Average 0.274
Table 4
REMOTE VIEWING RESULTS FOR VIEWER 807
Session
Figure-of-Merit
2001.cr
0.286
2002.cr
0.300
2003.cr
0.356
2004.cr
0.444*
2005.cr
0.056
2006.cr
0.257
Average 0.278
From the analysis performed in our RV program, we found that a figure of merit greater than
0.4 is statistically significant at the 0.05 level. In combining the z-scores based upon the average
figure of merit for each viewer, we find an overall z = 1.44 corresponding to a p-value G 0.075.
From Tables 1-4 we see that viewers 177, 558 and 807 each produced significant individual responses
although no one showed overall significant performance. Since we had initially decided to base our
conclusions on the correlation between the data from the photomultiplier tube and the RV figures of
merit, it was not necessary to require consistently high figures of merit. The only criteria is that there
must be some evidence of "contact" with the target material. Since the overall z-score was nearly
significant, and since most all of the sessions produced figures of merit greater than the expected
mean (0.13), we concluded that we observed good contact with the target material.
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Viewer
Session
* FM
A+
A
H+
H
N
177 '
2001.hs
.457
7.14
5.95
11.11
2.78
252
2002.hs
.250
4.67
0.67
9.33
4.33
300
2003.hs
.356
6.02
1.88
7.89
1.50
266
2004.hs
.300
4.03
1.15
13.26
4.32
347
2005.hs
.125
0.00
0.00
0.65
0.00
306
309
2001.wm
.125
3.71
2.47
6.01
2.82
556
2002.wm
.167
2.52
3.35
9.64
5.24
477
2003.wm
.257
5.52
6.75
9.00
4.50
489
2004.wm
.300
2.30
1.67
8.35
1.46
479
2005.wm
.036
6.10
4.87
2.33
1.26
557
2006.wm
.048
7.68
5.91
7.87
2.76
508
558
2001.br
.288..
7.02
5.58
13.02
4.96
484
2002.br
.100
8.91
7.09
10.73
5.87
494
2003.br
.214
6.22
6.00
7.56
3.33
450
2004.br
.225
13.11
12.70
11.68
2.66
488
2005.br
.681
2.24
1.55
6.88
1.72
581
2006.br
.160
6.78
4.03
5.27
0.00
472
807
2001.cr
.286
7.00
5.32
10.36
3.92
357
2002.cr
.300
1.36
0.68
13.22
4.41
295
2004.cr
.444.
0.00
0.00
10.79
0.00
241
2005.cr
.056
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
199
2006.cr
.257.
0.50
5.00
1.00
5.50
200
* The automated fitting routine failed for sessions 2006.hs and
2003.c r. Those sessions were not included in the correlation
calculations.
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PM TUBE/RV CORRELATION RESULTS
For a single RV session the number of channels with significantly increased or decreased count
rates are summed over all RV target access periods. These summations were made for the all
amplitude spectrum (A) and for the high amplitude spectrum (H). The final output from the
photomultiplier tube data analysis consists of the four summations described above normalized by the
total number of RV channels (i.e. The length of time during the whole session that the viewer was in
"contact" with the target material.).
Table 5 shows the results of the RV figure of merit and photomultiplier tube analysis for the
all-amplitude and high-amplitude cases for each viewer. The PM results are shown in units of per-
cent number of significant channels. The symbols A and H represent the all-amplitude and high-
amplitude data respectively, and the symbols + and - represent the increase or decrease from the ex-
pected number of pulses, respectively.
In order to analyze the combined RV and PM results, we chose to calculate the linear correla-
tion coefficient between the figure of merit and the normalized PM tube data. This method was
chosen since the Chinese claim that "exceptional vision" results in an increased count rate of mainly
large amplitude pulses. Therefore we could expect a positive correlation between the FM and H+ and
a negative correlation between FM and H-. (As the quality of the RV contact increases, there should
be fewer number of channels containing small count rates.) Although the PRC data does not specifi-
cally mention results for the all amplitude PM data, we would expect that the far greater count rate of
small amplitude pulses in A+ and A- would tend to mask any increase in only high amplitude pulses.
Since the direction of the correlation could be specified, we calculated single tailed p-values for the
the correlation coefficients. Table 6 shows these results.
Table 6
CORRELATION RESULTS
Analysis
Mean
Correlation
Coef. (r)
p-value
(1-tailed)
FM
0.247
-
-
A+
4.674
-0.158
0.242
A
3.746
-0.174
0.220
H+
7.998
0.393
0.035t
H
1.981
-0.017
0.469
We observe in Table 6 that there is a weak, statistically significant correlation of RV with in-
creased number of PM pulses of high amplitude. Furthermore, the direction of the correlation is as
expected although the difference in the correlations is not significant. This is in direct agreement with
the PRC claims, with the exception that the magnitude of our observations is considerably less than
theirs.
There are a number of possible explainations for this weak correlation:
1. We have simply observed a statistical fluctuation in a noisy environment.
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2. Since our target materials were photographic slides of natural (and existing) loca-
tions, our assumption that the slides were the target materals (rather than the actual
sites) was false.
3. The PRC subjects with exceptional vision might be much more skilled than our
viewers.
4. Closer proximity between viewer and PM tube might be required to enhance the
effect.
5. The thermionic emission of the PM tube has been enhanced rather than photons
being produced.
By calculating the auto-correlation functions for lags of 0-20, we found that each of the all-
amplitude spectra was significant for most all of the lags. Secondly, there were significant correlations
between all- and high-amplitude spectra; an expected result since the high-amplitude information is
completely contained in the all-amplitude spectra. Only a few of the high-amplitude spectra, however,
showed significant auto-correlations. Thus we are able to say that we observed some small amplitude
periodic signals in the output of the PM tube.
The most likely source of periodic signals in the PM tube pulses is from the AC power line.
During construction of the apparatus, we noticed occasional periods of highly regular signals in the
analyzer. We found that our laboratory was across a hall from a machine shop. All of the observable
artifacts vanished when we utilized appropriate power conditioning hardware. Nonetheless, the sig-
nificant auto-correlations demonstrate that we were unsuccessful at eliminating all the regular structure
from the signal. Therefore explanation 1. above must`remaIn as a likely possibility.
As of this report, there is not enough data for us to determine the origin of the RV information
(i.e., from the slide in present time; precognitively from the slide at a future feedback time; or the
site itself in present and/or feedback time.). Thus item 2. above can not be eliminated as a critical
distinction between our work and that of the Chinese.
Since we chose the resources available to us for the experiment, we chose viewers who had
demonstrated ability at remote viewing natural scenes. We do not have individuals with a history of
viewing abstract or alphabetic sympols. Therefore, we attempted a conceptual replication of the PRC
experiments rather than an exact one.
Finally, we note that one of the best viewers (177) demonstrated significant positive correlations
between figures of merit and both all-amplitude measures (p < 0.007 and p ~ 0.022 for A+ and A-
respectively). Since this result is not confirmed by the summed result (Only the positive high-
amplitude pulses showed significance.), it is difficult to interpret. If the PRC claim proves ultimately
to be correct, it is tempting to say that viewer 177 "interacted" with the target system by increasing
the variance of the signal during the RV periods.
The above analysis, while statistically suggestive of the PRC result, does not demonstrate that we
observed an overall effect of the same magnitude. The Chinese report signal-to-noise ratios of at
least 25:1, and usually 100:1 to 1000:1.
We did, however, observe two "anomalies" during the course of the experiment which are sug-
gestive of the PRC claims. Those anomalies are shown in Figures 3 and 4. In order to designate any
spectral feature as an anomaly, several strict criteria had to be met:
* We thank D. I. Radin for calculating the auto- and cross-correlations.
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Yi.C
FIGURE 3 ANOMALY PRODUCED BY VIEWER 558
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kv
b1AH
STOP
FIGURE 4 ANOMALY PRODUCED BY VIEWER 807
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1. The anomaly must appear simultaneously in both the all-amplitue (A) and high-
amplitude (H) spectra. Since we observed occasional small amplitude noise bursts
in our pilot trials, we decided to ignore high count rate signals appearing only in the
A spectrum. Likewise, the H spectrum must overlap with the A spectrum by virtue
of the discriminator settings. Therefore any unusual feature appearing only in the
H spectrum must be due to an equipment malfunction, not a psychoenergetic event.
2. Any anomaly appearing in both A and H spectra must appear at exactly the same
channel number. For the reasons discussed above, any signals which are 'not corre-
lated in time would be considered due to only noise or equipment problems.
3. To be considered, an anomaly must have been observed during an RV contact
period. While some evidence exists for so called "linger" or "relaxation" effects in
PK experiments we were specifically testing for increased pulse rates during remote
viewing. Any unusual signals observed at other times were ignored.
4. Finally, anomalies were considered to be only those signals which showed a rapid
transition in count rate. Either the increase or decrease in rate must occur within a
few channels (i.e., a few_seconds). Slowly varying count rates are known to be
due to temperature drift and were discarded.
CONCLUSIONS
We have conducted a conceptual replication of work published by physicists in the People's
Republic of China. The overall results (summed across all viewers) indicate a weak statistical effect
that supports the Chinese claims that correct RV acquisition of information perturbs physical systems.
In addition to the statistical result, we observed two anomalies which resemble the shape and
magnitude of the signals reported in the PRC papers. However, the evidence that these transients
were psychoenergetically induced is inconclusive (i.e., The anomalies occured in RV sessions of
modest quality.). Furthermore, we observed very similar kinds of signals during the initial equipment
set-up which were clearly due to environmental noise and AC line transients. We are unable to com-
pletely dismiss the anomalies, however, for two reasons:
? The anomalies occured in RV contact periods.
? The characteristics of the anomalies agreed with the type of signals reported by the
Chinese.
Since we observed both statistical correlations and two suggestive anomalies, the Chinese claims
were partially verified.
To carry out a more definitive investigation, another set of experiments should be conducted with
the following improvements:
? Add more-experienced viewers to the initial group.
? Examine the possibility of using English language alphabet letters as target material.
? Cool and temperature stabilize the PM tube to further reduce background noise
levels.
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0 Carry out the experiment in a more nearly electrically isolated environment to
eliminate AC power line transients.
REFERENCES
Chinese Academy of Sciences, High Energy Institute, Special Physics Research Team, Exceptional
Human Body Radiation. PSI Research, 1982, June, 16.
Knoll, G. F., Radiation Detection and Measurement. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1979.
May, E. C., Humphrey, B. S., Mathews, C., and Puthoff, H. E. Figure-of-Merit Analysis for Free
Response Data, Submitted for presentation at the 28th Conference of the Parapsychological Associa-
tion, 1985.
Yonjie, Zhao and Hongyhang, Xu EHBF Radiation: Special Features of the Time Response. In-
stitute of High Energy Physics, Beijing, Peoples Republic of China, PSI Research, 1982, December,
20.
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