This research "could have" relevance for LENR (but otherwise would be irrelevant to the field, and of course is not mentioned). The article is merely the golf tee for a long par-5 on the back nine :-)
http://phys.org/news/2015-07-neutrons-magnetism-plutonium.html One aspect of this discovery goes to a broader interpretation (broader than merely explaining a feature of the element plutonium) - and it can be stated this way: there is a parameter called "hidden magnetic flux" which is a rapid natural oscillation at the atomic or atomic crystal structure level; and this rapid oscillation could be a feature of a number of elements and alloys, besides plutonium, including mu metals. For instance, a broader interpretation of this R&D could (in the future) help explain why mu metals are so effective at absorbing magnetic flux. and more. Anyway, alloys where rapid self-flux is seen without external input, could be ideal matrices for LENR (this is supposition only as of now). In short, the present suggestion is that there could be a new magnetic phenomenon in play, which goes a long way towards explaining the magnetic relationship of hydrogen to the metal lattice, in enhanced LENR. The magnetic fluctuations (of the present research) are a result of differing numbers of electrons in plutonium's valence shell, which valence electron count is seen to CHANGE rapidly (this is heretofore unique in physics). Conventional EM theory, which has seldom been wrong, predicted long ago that the element plutonium should have strong magnetic ordering, like iron. However, no evidence for that magnetic ordering has been found until 70 years later - and only recently has plutonium's "missing" magnetism been resolved as an internal oscillation. IOW - it is temporary and oscillating without external input. This could be the kind of breakthrough in understanding of a number of unrelated systems. Using neutron scattering, the direct measurement of the elements fluctuating magnetism was witnessed - and the authors surmise a constant state of flux, making it nearly impossible to detect at the macro level, but very energetic locally. This has potential implications for LENR since the effect is seen at the atomic level, and although plutonium is not a proton conductor, there could easily be other alloys which react in a similar way to Pu (changing valence) and which would then be poised to moderate the movement of dissolved atomic hydrogen. For instance, nickel has a known but rarely encountered feature of several transition metals - hexavalency. However, the hexavalency of nickel is not oscillating (normally) ... except. perhaps one can imagine a nickel alloy, where the crystal structure is ideal to promote an oscillating change of valence on a short time scale. It goes without saying that when hydrogen goes from its molecular state, H2, to its atomic state, it also goes from diamagnetic repulsion to extreme susceptibility. This could provide rapid acceleration, unheard of at the macro level. At the sub-nanometer geometry, a proton with a single electron (aligned) has a 12.5 Tesla equivalent magnetic field. consequentially, acceleration gradients could be enormous. Do I get a "mulligan", if this speculation is wrong? Will Janoschek include me on the paper if it is correct?
