On Jul 29, 2007, at 1:43 AM, Michel Jullian wrote:
Hi Horace,
I finally found the time to read your summary, which you copy-
pasted below.
Electron catalyzed fusion per se is an old concept from the early
days of CF, a.k.a. electron screening effect isn't it?
No. The concept of electron screening is that orbital electron
waveforms permit two nuclei to get close enough together that one
nucleus can, with useful probability (half-life) tunnel to the
other. This is still very much an ongoing theory championed by the
Chubbs I think. This kind of fusion might be expected to have
ordinary branching ratios. Explaining the lack of such branching
ratios is a significant part of Chubbs' objective and problem, as it
is for all CF theory in general.
Electron catalysis as discussed relating to the electron fugacity
concept is a 3 body fusion concept, a concept involving simultaneous
2 body tunneling, though possibly involving a short wavelength
electron at some point. A changing of branching ratios is a natural
consequence and effectively a demand of the theory. Simultaneous 2
body tunneling is not an uncommon concept, and in fact occurs with
approximately 50 percent probability in Josephson junctions.
The example you give is limpid: if an electron e- and two deuterons
D+ are initially at rest wrt each other, far from other particles,
with the e- half way between the two D+, both D+ will be attracted
to the e- more than they will be repelled by each other and may
eventually miss the e-, hit each other and fuse.
You refer here to the early example I used involving purely kinetic
catalysis with short wavelength particles, or at least short
wavelength electrons. It is useful because it demonstrates the
energetics involved and the possible importance of short wavelength
electrons in hot fusion. The idea of "miss the e-, hit each other
and fuse" does not seem to me to be exactly applicable. The electron
waveform represents a cloud of charge, and has a center of charge. It
certainly acts in that manner when in orbital form. The fusing
kinetic deuterons merely approach each other close enough that the
tunneling half-life is very small. It might be more appropriate to
think of the electron as a ghostly charge cloud through which the
hadrons pass and then meld. The key to this kind of hot fusion
catalysis is the electron having sufficient relative velocity that
that its de Broglie wavelength is small enough to perform the
catalysis. I think this kind of catalysis is important, or will be
important, in pinch devices. It seems to me to be important in some
astronomical cases.
The more recent development in my thinking is a very different
concept from the hot fusion electron catalysis concept. This newer
kind of catalysis is a three body wave function collapse. The basis
of this idea is that a wave function collapse becomes more probable
as it becomes more energetically favorable. It is certainly true
that wave function collapse, tunneling, does not occur when it is
energetically not favorable. The key in condensed matter fusion
engineering is creating and increasing the (probability weighted)
proportion of volumes of overlapped wave functions where it is
feasible. Fairly high (observable) fusion probability density is
clearly marginally achieved in the D-Pd system in some
circumstances. Achieving high D loading is clearly critical to
this, but is apparently not sufficiently obtained to make fusion
devices practical. A key fact still seems to be that high D loading
places lattice hadron wave functions under a "pressure" in that these
wave functions of like charge in high fugacity situations occupy less
volume. If any two hadrons become bound by the strong force, this
then diminishes the electromagnetic field strength (pressure) in the
lattice, and reduces D fugacity. Similarly, if two hadrons plus an
electron become bound, this also diminishes the electromagnetic field
strength (pressure) in the lattice, and reduces D fugacity. It is an
energetically favorable event. Now, by increasing electron fugacity,
and still leaving D fugacity high, the two hadron plus electron
binding becomes energetically even more favorable. This strategy
then, increasing electron fugacity, is clearly a potential means to
increase the probability of three body fusion in a fully loaded
lattice. It remains to be seen if it is possible to push the
probability density into a practically useful range. Only experiment
can determine this.
This certainly occurs, I don't think anyone denies this, but the
question is, at what rate, if it's e.g. once per century it's no
use of course. Many CF researchers believe it occurs more often in
the conditions of CF experiments, and your more recent developments
aim at increasing the rate further, right?
My initial aim was more at explanation, but if the principle applies
then the engineering becomes comparatively simple. Make the cell,
especially the cathode, extremely negative.
Horace Heffner
http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/
