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Mr. Adam Butt
[address redacted]
Sept. 19, 2008
Dear Adam Butt,
The following questions concern the document dated Feb. 23, 2006, as shown on page four of this letter.
1. Have you ever signed a copy of the Feb. 23, 2006, document?
2. If you have signed a copy, can you please provide me with a copy?
3. Was this document written by you?
4. Was this document written entirely by you?
5. Was this document written willingly by you and without undue influence?
6. Can you please describe the circumstances in which this document was created? (Why, where and how it was created. Did you enter it into a computer, or did someone transcribe your oral statements?)
7. Were you involved in any experiments at the Purdue INOK laboratory?
8. Were any of those experiments related to bubble/sonofusion?
9. Were you involved in any bubble/sonofusion experiments at any other Purdue laboratory?
10. Please consider the following facts:
- The first part of the Feb. 23, 2006 document is written in third person, and the second part is written in first person.
- The first part of the Feb. 23, 2006 document refers to Rusi Taleyarkhan as "Professor Taleyarkhan," and the second part refers to him as "Prof. T."?
Can you explain these discrepancies?
11. Please consider the following facts:
MEDIA APPEARANCES
- The Purdue news service represented in the July 12, 2005 press release (in the related text and in the photo of you and post-doctoral researcher Yiban Xu) that you were a key participant in the research.
- On Feb. 10, 2005, you gave a 10-minute videotaped lecture in front of Taleyarkhan, Lefteri Tsoukalas, Sally Mason, Linda Katehi and a dozen other people which gave the appearance that you were highly qualified in bubble/sonofusion research.
- Throughout the Feb. 10, 2005, presentation, you spoke of bubble/sonofusion experiments that you were personally involved with. For example, you started the presentation with the statement, "This is a project that Alex and I are working on."
MASTER’S THESES AND RESEARCH
- Evidence presented to New Energy Times shows that you referenced sonofusion experimentation that you were involved with on Nov. 26, 2004 for your master’s thesis.
- Signed statements provided to New Energy Times from other former students discuss your participation in and expertise with bubble/sonofusion experiments.
- Information presented to New Energy Times indicates that your Project Summary submission of late 2004 stated that you were working on sonofusion experimentation.
- Information presented to New Energy Times indicates that three people in the School of Nuclear Engineering saw you during 2004 and 2005 regularly performing sonofusion experiments with Xu.
NED JOURNAL AND NURETH-11 PAPERS
- Several signed statements provided to New Energy Times indicate that you signed off on the transmittal letter to the Nuclear Engineering and Design (NED) journal.
- Signed statements provided to New Energy Times indicate that the work of the NED and Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics conference (NURETH-11) papers was part of your thesis and that you, in fact, took credit for it as part of your thesis.
- Signed statements provided to New Energy Times indicate that you appeared grateful for the opportunity to perform related work for the NED and NURETH-11 papers, that you were happy and willing to do so.
- A signed statement provided to New Energy Times indicates that you performed a review of the draft manuscript for the NED paper, you offered corrections and suggestions and you willingly and enthusiastically signed the NED journal transmittal letter accepting co-authorship.
- Several signed statements provided to New Energy Times indicate that you agreed to work on the bubble/sonofusion group's international conference paper for NURETH-11 in late 2005.
- A signed statement provided to New Energy Times indicates that your name was added as a co-author to the NED and NURETH-11 papers because of your participation in the data acquisition of sonoluminescent signals and that you were "thrilled and gratified" to be part of the team.
- A signed statement provided to New Energy Times states, "Butt, as an author, was likewise involved in several significant aspects of test cell construction, data checks, data analyses and conclusions as well as for manuscript reviews."
- A signed statement provided to New Energy Times states, "From my experience of over 10 years in research, it has been common practice to be as inclusive as possible, especially in relation to offering co-authorship to students to help them feel appreciated and credited for their efforts, even if not as significant as those of others on the author list."
Based on the above facts and information, do you think that your inclusion as an author of the NED and NURETH bubble/sonofusion papers was appropriate?
12. With regard to the first three items in the summary of the Feb. 23, 2006 document, do you think these items accurately represent authorship and credit of the NED and NURETH-11 papers in context?
13. Several of your former peers wrote signed affidavits that stated that you were excited to go to France to present the NURETH-11 paper but that you did not go because of a delay in the government's processing of your passport. With regard to the last two items in summary of the Feb. 23, 2006, document, do you think these items accurately represent authorship and credit the NED and NURETH-11 papers in context?
14. Are there any other comments you would like to make for the record?
Please respond by 5 p.m. (Pacific) on Friday, Sept. 26 so that we may include your comments in a forthcoming New Energy Times article.
Sincerely,
Steven B. Krivit
Editor, New Energy Times
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