VIC design session v117: best candidate (Q=52.2, 94.4kHz)

Sweep — screen-guided: live [Choke L (each), Turns, Wire gauge], refined score 0.626

Cell — 16mm rod in 18.0mm tube × 50mm, 1 cell(s) parallel → C_eff = 1.85nF, bulk water R = 48940Ω.
Water/electrodes (Randles) — 0.1ppm Na+ @ 25°C, surface ×0.25 → λ_D 236nm, C_dl 1.0µF, cell series R 17.0Ω, displacement current 98.2%, breakdown margin ×102.
Fig-8 voltammetry (4,798,661) — τ_EDL 47743.6µs (4508.3 carrier cycles to charge), Faradaic leakage at peak 20.8mA (leak score 0.84 — keep amp leakage inhibited while voltage climbs the ladder).
Vapor-film discharge (CGDE onset, 627V across 0.1mm film) — regime sub-breakdown, film Paschen 662V, 250 Td — INSIDE the 3-6 eV cold-chemistry window.
Townsend α/γ — γ = 0.03 (electrode lever), criterion M = γ(e^{αd}−1) = 0.534 → SUB-CRITICAL, the target corner: avalanche multiplying, γ feedback still open, gas stays cold.
Per-molecule (series micro-capacitor chain) — 3.70M molecules across 1.00mm → 169.21 µV/molecule (polarization (µV band)).
Chokes — 2 × 0.000768H (41 turns, AWG 20, 5m wire, AC R 0.2Ω each).
At resonance f_r = 94.43kHz — Xl = 911Ω, Xc = 911Ω, tank Q = 52.2, coil Q = 1923.8.
Cell voltage 627V from 12V drive (×52.2). Tank current 0.69A circulating (CW upper bound — rate wire/switch for this); average input 14mA at 2% duty.
No hard violations (band, wire length, dielectric). Average current is scored, not gated.
Score 0.809.

Basis

design-loop Q resonance