My skeptical friend, who suggested the "thermite scenario", objects to Rossi's proposed reaction chain:
(x)Ni+p --> (x+1)Cu --> (x+1)Ni ; (x+1)Ni + p --> (x+2)Cu --> (x+2)Ni; repeat until stable as follows: > The obvious problem with this story: > > Ni + p --> Cu --> Ni; Ni + p --> Cu; repeat until Cu is stable > > Is that the intermediate decays of unstable Cu isotopes release > something like 10% of the total reaction energy as hard gamma rays. > 10% of 12 kW is somewhere in the vicinity of ten million Curies @ 1 > MeV. A quick scan of the web suggests that about 1" of lead can cut > this by a factor of ten, but I can't find anyone who wants to quantify > attenuation factors greater than this. I'm skeptical, though, that > shielding could be good enough for anyone at the demonstration to > still be alive. Anyway, one thing the water might have to do is cool > the lead, if it's not to melt from the absorbed radiation. > > Jerry Among other things, this makes it sound /extremely/ surprising that no gamma radiation was detected during the public demonstration -- and it also makes the statement that the spent material from the reactor was not detectably radioactive seem rather startling.
