Andrew Palfreyman
Andrew Palfreyman | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | University of Oxford |
| Known for | Experimental work on the Mach-Lorentz (Mach-effect) thruster |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics, advanced propulsion |
Andrew Palfreyman is a physicist and engineer known for his experimental work on reactionless and inertial propulsion concepts, including the Mach-Lorentz thruster. He is listed in The Worldwide List of Dissident Scientists.
Background
Palfreyman graduated in physics from the University of Oxford in 1970 and subsequently worked in electronics engineering. He has taken an interest in a range of unconventional propulsion ideas, from the work of John Searl (the Searl Effect Generator) to Mach's-principle-based propulsion.
Work
Palfreyman collaborated with James Woodward and Paul March on the development of the Mach-Lorentz thruster (MLT), an electromagnetic device intended to produce net thrust by inducing transient fluctuations in the mass of dielectric material in charged capacitors, in accordance with Woodward's interpretation of Mach's principle. Results of "Mach-2MHz" experiments were reported in a STAIF-2006 paper co-authored with Paul March, and the concept was described in the paper "Mach-Lorentz Thruster Spacecraft Applications" (AIP Conference Proceedings, 2007). Claims of reactionless or Mach-effect thrust remain outside the accepted physics consensus and are regarded skeptically by the broader scientific community.