At 04:41 PM 3/24/2010, Jones Beene wrote:
An alpha decay, say from Pd having been activated by a cold neutron is a QM reaction - even if it involves an excited nucleus emitting an alpha particle, which is of course identical to a helium-4 nucleus, since both mass number and atomic number are the same.
Problem with this as a suggestion is that the fuel isn't deuterium, it's palladium and whatever provides the neutron. There will be as much of the other reaction product from the decay as there is helium. And that should be readily detectable. And the Q? Anyone know what it would be?
So this couldn't explain the helium in the quantities found.
AFAIK, this is considered to be fundamentally a quantum tunneling process ... especially when it happens with intermediate atomic weight nuclei (non-alpha emitters). Perhaps it is always a QM effect at some level. If there is a major distinction that can be made between LENR and thermonuclear processes it is probably limited to this broad one: "QM vs. brute force".
More accurately, quantum field theory vs. simplified, two-body quantum mechanics.
At any rate, IMHO, it is not possible to distinguish or correlate helium with an electroweak force in such a way that "fusion" is excluded no matter who's theory it benefits. Perhaps an expert in nuclear physics will correct me on that point.
I just don't see any possible fuel in palladium deuteride experiments than deuterium, and any other ash but helium, as to large quantities. As to traces, below helium, sure, maybe. There are some transmutations, and there is some tritium.
