On Sat, Mar 23, 2013 at 7:35 PM, <mix...@bigpond.com> wrote: > In reply to Jones Beene's message of Sat, 23 Mar 2013 06:52:31 -0700: > Hi, > [snip] >>-----Original Message----- >>From: Harry Veeder >> >>"According to Robin reduced-mass neutrons can form spontaneously, but >>rarely, when an electron is captured by a nucleus. Would it be possible to >>exchange the seven miracles for one miracle of a reduced-mass neutron from a >>free electron and free proton/deuteron?" >> >>Unfortunately, it is not that simple and may still involve three or four >>miracles; at least when the target nucleus is stable and does not decay by >>EC. Hydrogen and deuterium are stable and cannot decay by EC. Nickel is not >>known to undergo EC either. The electron capture alone would be one miracle, >>but it would not be enough. > > The Ni doesn't need to undergo electron capture. The point was that a proton > and > an electron could be absorbed concurrently by the Ni, combining to form a new > neutron in the Ni. > This is not impossible, and doesn't even violate the standard model. > It also means that there would be no *free* neutrons created. Hence the lack > of
Actually, my intention was to explain how free neutrons could be created, but I guess this is not necessary. I will just focus on my argument that a proton and electron can collide instead forming a stable atom. The collision results in a proton and electron sticking together. This joint particle is roughly the size of a proton so it remembles a neutron from the perspective of the columb barrier of another nucleus. > The only question is, would the electron be kept by the new nucleus, resulting > in neutron creation, and a heavier isotope of the original nucleus, or would > it > be ejected resulting in a nucleus of the next element in the periodic table? > (If past experience is any guide, then likely sometimes one, sometimes the > other). > > e.g. H + 58Ni -> 59Ni or H + 58Ni -> 59Cu Harry
