MEMO FROM TO: TX

J. LEDERBERG Jastrow RC
GENETICS DEPARTMENT RO
STANFORD UNIVERSITY NASA

STANFORD, CALIFORNIA

July 16, 1959
Dear Bob:
Enclosed a fresh copy of this fantasy about

a ‘crystalline plasma’. Don't let this name
mislead you-- | have in mind simply sheets of
lons of opposite charge but equal mass so they
can be accelerated by a full-wave linear
accelerator.

The big problem is, of course, generating the
fons, especially the negatively charged ones.
However, these are recorded in mass spectro-
graphy though they are much less studied than
the cations. One thought | had wes to mix s
vapor like WH, F with another much heavier vapor

under pressure to act as a polarizing dielectric
~~ 3 molecular sieve could then let out such
mH, and F as are formed, Alternatively, even

NH, itself might do this, but f don't see a way

to retain the NH, as a ‘solvent’ gas, above its
critical temperature, while harvesting the fons.
Some elaborate scheme might be devised of con-
densing out the NH, from a solution of F in
which the Ions havé been boiled out. Ky asin
thought was thet If there were any Intrinsic
merit in structuring the plasma It might motivate
some additional work needed to find ways to
generate these particular ions.

Yours,