Confidential -- January 2026, San Francisco
Private research program. Electrostatic force anomalies in high-K dielectric capacitors under rapid voltage transients.
A controlled, instrumented investigation into whether high-K dielectric capacitors produce a measurable force imbalance when subjected to rapid voltage transients -- DC, AC, pulsed, and RF up to 13.56 MHz.
The Biefeld-Brown Effect has been reported since the 1920s and reproduced in various forms by Honda T. Musha and others, but never with modern instrumentation, proper controls, shielding, and multi-modal drive electronics in a single parametric study. This program will change the course of how this phenomenon is understood -- either by producing credible positive data with proper error bars, or by establishing rigorous upper bounds that close the question.
Either outcome is valuable. One is civilization-altering.
Multi-modal electrical drive + oil-immersed device under test (DUT) + precision gravimetry.
Materials. TiO2 (K ~ 85, ~4 kV/mm breakdown), BaTiO3 (K ~ 1200, ~2-4 kV/mm), PZT (K ~ 2000, ~10-40 kV/mm). Dielectrics sourced as polished sputtering targets for flatness and reproducible interfaces.
DUT suite. Capacitor assembly submerged in transformer oil. Top and bottom copper electrodes sandwich a high-K dielectric disc. HV feedthrough connects to power stage. Entire assembly sits on analytical balance.
| DUT | Config |
|---|---|
| DUT 1 | TiO2 x1 -- 25 kV max |
| DUT 2 | TiO2 x1 -- 16 kV max |
| DUT 3 | BaTiO3 x2 -- 32 kV max |
| DUT 4 | BaTiO3 x2 -- 40 kV max |
| DUT 5 | TiO2 + BaTiO3 -- 40 kV max |
| DUT 6 | PZT x2 -- 60 kV max |
| DUT 7 | BaTiO3 + PZT -- 40 kV max |
Shielding. Faraday mesh around the scale and DUT. Magnetic shielding plate. Secondary pure-analog all-metal scale to validate significant effects if detected. Design target is to maximize dV/dt at the dielectric within breakdown and power-transfer constraints.
Spanning field-dynamics spectrum, not a single waveform. Direct DC from 0 to 60 kV. Bipolar Cockcroft-Walton delivers +/- 50 kV (100 kV differential). AC waveforms cover 60 Hz through 300 kHz. Fast-edge pulsed mode achieves ~500 ns edges at the secondary. RF resonant operation spans 1 to 13.56 MHz with Q-factor voltage multiplication and impedance matching.
| Mode | dV/dt at DUT |
|---|---|
| 60 Hz AC | 0.009 GV/s |
| 100 kHz AC | 15.7 GV/s |
| Pulsed | 50 GV/s |
| RF 1 MHz | 3.1 GV/s |
| RF 4 MHz | 1.26 GV/s |
| RF 10 MHz | 188 GV/s |
Hypothesis under test: force correlates with K * E^2 and may exhibit enhancement under dynamic dV/dt and displacement current.
Baseline, excite, baseline, proceed. Pre-condition at 1 Hz logging for 120 seconds to establish baseline. Ramp to setpoint voltage over 10 seconds to avoid impulsive artifacts. Hold at setpoint for 120 seconds while logging mass, voltage, and leakage current. Ramp down to zero over 10 seconds, then record post-HV baseline for another 120 seconds. Reverse polarity and repeat. Run multiple times per condition to build dataset for statistical result extraction.
Perform for all power modes. Baselines tests prevent unnoticed permanent changes to test equipment from RF power coupling during an experiment.
Strong positive: Force greater than 10 milligrams observed at multiple voltages and conditions. Force proportional to V-squared with R-squared greater than 0.95, confirming electrostatic scaling. Force coefficient scales with dielectric constant K. Force reverses sign with polarity reversal. Dynamic enhancement greater than 1.5x observed for pulsed or RF versus DC at matched peak voltage. This outcome supports Phase Two expansion with vacuum testing, cryogenic operation, and higher-K materials made from powdered ceramics.
Null or bounded: Force below 1 milligram across the full test matrix. No systematic dependence on voltage-squared, dielectric constant K, polarity, or dV/dt. Documented upper bounds under controlled conditions with rigorous methodology. Clear rationale provided for what next experiments would be needed, or for stopping the program. Publishable negative result that advances the field by establishing what does not work under these conditions.
Funding buys time, instrumentation, location, security, and iteration headroom.
Baseline BOM is ~$26K excluding commercial 600W RF amplifier and auto-matcher. Largest single procurement is the 13.56 MHz RF amplifier system with matching network (~$14K). Optional acceleration to $1M doubles throughput through parallel builds, faster procurement, and test support.
High risk. Contested phenomenon. Uncertain outcome. This is by design.
Downside is bounded. Clean wind-down option available at end of Phase One. IP and data preserved in Company regardless of outcome. Publishable null result or upper bound if no signal is observed.
Upside is gated. Reproducible force scaling with V-squared and K dependence triggers Phase Two approval. Vacuum chamber testing and higher sensitivity instrumentation follow only if Phase One delivers positive evidence. No propulsion claims without data. Larger devices will be considered for Phase Two where significant forces may develop.
Phase One: $500,000 to find out.
A private R&D program with explicit decision rights.
Steering Committee. Three seats with monthly governance meetings. Andy as Engineering Lead, Jesse as Relations Lead, and the Investor providing funding and oversight. Standard decisions require two of three votes and cover scope adjustments, milestone changes, budget moves under $15K per month, Phase One success determination.
Reserved matters require investor approval: budget increases beyond baseline, debt over $10K, IP sale or assignment or licensing, equity issuance beyond SAFE or note conversion, and long-term lease commitments beyond Phase One.
IP and security. All work product and IP owned exclusively by the Company, structured as a Delaware C-Corp. Controlled disclosure with external sharing only under NDA and need-to-know basis. Facility and digital security baseline appropriate for trade secret protection.
Early departure terms. NDA obligations persist for a period of 5 years. Andy -- compensation stops and equity is forfeited, assets with wind-down. Jesse -- equity is forfeited, publishing rights forfeited. Investor -- option to forfeit the seat at their discretion, pool of shares reserved for future investment from additional investors without access to the Steering Committee.
$500,000. Post-Money SAFE. Funding available up to $1M for acceleration at two times throughput. Target ownership post-conversion is 25% Investor, 25% Andy, 25% Jesse, 25% Reserve. Investor seat on three-person Steering Committee plus reserved matter approvals.
Phase One ends with a decision package: system build evidence, test logs, analysis plots, IP capture, and Phase Two recommendation.
Next steps (T-0 to T-30 days):
Ready to start immediately upon execution.
Andy Norris, PE -- Engineering Lead. Executes all technical work: developing or acquiring hardware, power electronics, testing, and facilities. Responsible for all record keeping, Steering Committee reporting, and operations. Authors the program's technical specification and test reports. Responsible for IP capture and validation.
Jesse Michels -- Relations Lead. Stakeholder outreach and customer discovery. Partner engagement and communications support. Steering Committee member, content owner for video media produced in relation to the research.
Investor (TBD) -- Steering Committee seat. Funds Phase One via SAFE or note. Steering Committee member for reserved matter approvals and monthly governance participation if desired. Option to accelerate funding for higher throughput. Welcomed observer and visitor to the facility.
Dense Tank
andy@solidsf.com
Post-Money SAFE. $500K Phase One. This document is confidential.