At 06:37 PM 3/24/2010, Horace Heffner wrote:
On Mar 24, 2010, at 1:42 PM, [email protected] wrote:
In reply to Abd ul-Rahman Lomax's message of Wed, 24 Mar 2010
13:21:56 -0400:
Hi,
[snip]
How Does Hagelstein Explain
Energetic Alphas?
Theoretical Speculations on Upper Limits:
The alpha particle must be born with an
energy less than 20.3 KeV.
(Pay no attention to Lipson et al. 2002 11-16 MeV alphas,
Oriani and Fisher, SPAWAR)
- Hagelstein, Peter L. (Communicated by Edmund
Storms) "Constraints on Energetic
Particles in the FleischmannPons
Experiment,"Naturwissenschaften, DOI
10.1007/s00114-009-0644-4, Feb. 9, 2010
That's a very important paper, just published.
Krivit has completely misunderstood it. This is a
review of the theoretical considerations, and
Hagelstein is reporting the result of his
investigations. Look at the title: this paper
isn't pushing some conclusion other than noting a
very difficult problem, one that is fundamental
to the history of the field. If his analysis is
correct, nearly every proposed theory of cold
fusion implies a prediction that is contrary to
experimental result. They would predict energetic
alphas at significantly higher levels and frequency than are
actually found.
I think this is a misunderstanding of what the 20.3 keV represents.
It does not represent the Q of the reaction. It represents an
(experimental) upper limit on the kinetic energy the 4He obtains from
the reaction.
Yes, that's how I read it. Did I say something different?
Ah, perhaps I get it. Perhaps I have Takahashi on
the brain, but the difficulty of the missing
radiation, expected from most mechanisms, is the
problem I'm pointing out, that Hagelstein points
out. But absolutely, I did not think that this
represented the Q. The Q is far higher, so what's
happening to the energy? How is it ending up so
much as heat and not as particle kinetic energy (then converted to heat)?
This is not at all a surprising result if, as I and
various others have predicted, the D+D -> 4He branch produces most of
its enthalpy in the form of low energy alphas with the possibility
one or two low energy betas as well.
How low? How do you convert two deuterons to
helium? and not end up with some kind of
radiation? So the helium is low-energy. Okay. But
half the momentum has to be in the other product.
Gamma ray, normally -- in hot fusion -- for that
branch. Now, if you can couple the gamma ray
energy to the lattice, there you go. Maybe.
Highly speculative. What keeps the alpha, though,
from having significant energy, more than 20 KeV?
Even if what would be the gamma recoil is instead lattice?
