Fleischmann, M., et al.,
"<http://newenergytimes.com/v2/library/1989/1989Fleischmann-PrelimNote.pdf>Electrochemically
Induced Nuclear Fusion of Deuterium," Journal of Electroanalytical
Chemistry, Vol. 261, Issue 2, Part 1, p. 301-308 (April 10, 1989) and
errata in Vol. 263, p. 187-188, (1989)
"In view of the very high compression and mobility of the dissolved species
there must therefore be a significant number of close collisions and one
can pose the question: would nuclear fusion of D+ such as
2D + 2D > 3T(1.01 MeV) + 1H(3.02 MeV) (v)
or
2D + 2D > 3He(0.82 MeV) + n(2.45 MeV) (vi)
be feasible under these conditions?"
At 03:08 PM 12/24/2009, you wrote:
Steven Krivit wrote:
On 23 March 1989, electrochemists M. Fleischmann and S. Pons claimed in a
press conference at the University of Utah that they had achieved nuclear
fusion . . . Their hypothesis that a novel form of thermonuclear fusion
was responsible for their experimental results is still unproved.
I don't get this. I don't think Fleischmann and Pons ever claimed this is
fusion caused by heat (thermo-nuclear fusion). Or anything remotely like
plasma fusion. The only people who said that were the skeptics.
The suggestion that LENR research represented a new form of thermonuclear
fusion has caused significant confusion.
This suggestion was a strawman argument by the skeptics intended to cause
confusion. No cold fusion researcher has made this suggestion as far as I
know. I hope the rest of the article makes this clear.
In 1989 I knew a little about plasma fusion, mainly because I had observed
plasma fusion experiments back in college, conducted by my roommate (a
grad student). When I read the Wall Street Journal article about cold
fusion, based on this rudimentary knowledge it took me about 5 seconds to
conclude that whatever Fleischmann and Pons had discovered, it could not
be anything like plasma fusion. (Of course I assumed it might be an
experimental error or misunderstanding. I did not learn any details until
Gene's book came out.) I am sure Fleischmann and Pons reached that some
conclusion. Although Pons was upset with researchers in 1989 who said
there were no neutrons, so in a sense he still had one foot stuck back in
the plasma fusion model.
- Jed
