I would like to provide some advice to people attempting to explain
LENR. This advice comes from someone who has studied the subject for
the 23 years, who has an extensive background in chemistry and
physics, and who has read almost every paper about the subject. I
believe new ideas in physics are required, so my approach is not
based on an unwillingness to explore new ideas. We know from centuries
of observation and well developed understanding of materials that a
nuclear interaction, whether it be fusion or transmutation, is not
possible in normal material. Consequently, a novel and rare condition
must be created.
Two separate questions require answers.
1. What aspect of a material is able to initiate a spontaneous nuclear
reaction? Something about a material must change and this change must
involve only a small part of the material, i.e. the NAE. Once this
change occurs, the nuclear interaction occurs spontaneously without
extra energy being required. This condition must be created first
and be consistent with the mechanism that causes the nuclear reaction
in the NAE. This unique feature has been suggested to be metal atom
vacancies, deuterium atom vacancies, clusters of D of various sizes
with and without BEC being involved, gaps of a small size, locations
were neutrons can form or be released, and unique features present in
a highly loaded lattice that can initiate fusion. These features
must be consistent with known chemical behavior and physical
processes. No magic happens at this level. Although the condition is
consistent with conventional chemical behavior, it must form rarely by
random processes.
2. What mechanism can drain the mass-energy away from a collection of
hydrogen nuclei before the final nucleus is formed? The final nucleus
can be result from fusion or transmutation. This process must drain
the energy in a way that produces some detectable photon radiation,
but not enough to be consistent with the excess power. This draining
process must be complete before the final nucleus forms to avoid
conflicts with the law of conservation of momentum. The mechanism
must logically explain how He4, tritium, and transmutation are
produced without energetic radiation being detected. The mechanism
must show a positive effect of temperature, must occur in a variety of
materials including oxides, must be sensitive to magnetic fields and
laser light, and must be initiated using a variety of methods. These
requirements are created by observed behavior and severely limit the
kind of mechanisms that are plausible.
I have examined all the theories with these requirements in mind. My
first conclusion is that the NAE cannot be created in the lattice
itself without violating known facts about thermochemical behavior.
This conclusion leaves gaps as the only plausible location. Gaps have
the ability to form and host several types of clusters or structures.
These structures need to be explored to discover how they can drain
the mass-energy in a way that is consistent with requirement #2. This
"draining" process represents the missing knowledge about nuclear
interaction that cold fusion has revealed. I suggest the Nobel prize
will be found in the explanation of this "draining" process.
Ed
