Forgive this rant, but I couldn't resist. I came across a paper called "Alteration of Nuclear Beta Decay by Non-Nuclear Strong Fields" ( Laser Physics Vol. 9 No.1 1999 pp. 92-97)
It asserts that beta decay in radioactive elements could be triggered by external applied EMF - and that this could be a powerful new energy source! "Were it possible, accelerated decay of highly forbidden beta decay materials would be the ideal long-term energy source" The study is one of many that have appeared over the years, done by H.R. Reiss of the American University. It uses arcane and complex mathematics to make it's point. So, lemme get this straight, as an outside observer: The year is 1999 and the issue of the radioactive constant, independent of all outside influences STILL HASN'T BEEN SETTLED? You mean that there is no body of experimental results as yet to settle the issue? ( "Yup, I got my Tesla Coil and diathermy machine and some radium needles and put this theory to bed") Is physical reality solely determined by mathematics? Is that the sole determinant of truth these days? Is this reasonable especially if such beta decay Is triggered by events in the quantum realm - which could be purely arbitrary? Yes, statistical analysis works - but the quantum arena ultimately "just is" as argued by Victor Stenger in Decoherence theory ( a skeptics answer to non locality). Who knows - until somebody actually DOES THE EXPERIMENTS and STOPS ARGUING ABOUT MATH ACROSS DECADES OF TIME! If I was a Creationist, I'd jump on this like a hungry lion on a gazelle. Whether it works or not is hardly the point ( although it would be wonderful if it did!) - what's happened to physics these days? Has it gone nuts? OK, I feel better now. Rant over.
