On Sat, Mar 23, 2013 at 6:04 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > In reply to Harry Veeder's message of Sat, 23 Mar 2013 04:04:55 -0400: > Hi, > [snip] >>> The weak force doesn't actually present a barrier. It presents a chance that >>> something will occur. Electrons and protons don't normally combine into >>> neutrons >>> because their combined mass is inadequate. It's 782 keV short of the mass >>> of a >>> free neutron. >> >>>However, they could combine to form a reduced mass neutron as part >>> of the nucleus of a heavier atom. This does in fact happen with some >>> isotopes. >>> It's called "electron capture" (EC). In this case, even though the mass of >>> the >>> proton is also reduced, the net result (an isotope of the previous element >>> in >>> the periodic table), is sufficiently more stable than the initial isotope to >>> more than make up for the difference. >>> Regards, >>> >>> Robin van Spaandonk >>> >>> http://rvanspaa.freehostia.com/project.html >>> >> >>ok, so they don't normally combine because the rules of QM forbid it >>or at least say it is highly improbable below some energy/temperature >>level. > > It's actually classically forbidden. 1 baseball + a second baseball does not > make 3 baseballs.
I don't understand your analogy. Aren't we talking about 1e combining with 1p to make 1n? >>So QM provides the "barrier", but I presume it becomes more likely if >>you substantially increase the kinetic energy of the two particles. >>The necessary kinetic energy is converted into the extra mass >>required to form the neutron and this is, roughly speaking, what the >>W-L theory proposes. > > Only very roughly. They don't actually explain where the extra energy comes > from. Note that *extra* is about 1 1/2 times the mass of an electron. > >> >>However, it would be interesting to speculate if the kind of low >>energy electron capture you describe could happen more frequently. >>In other words, If reduced mass neutrons could be made easily (from a >>free electron and free proton/deuteron) would this one "miracle" be >>able to explain observations without the additional miracles required >>by the W-L theory. > > Note that they can only be made *in* another nucleus, or at the very least, > very, very close to it, such that the ensuing neutron(s) are immediately > captured. I am just speculating on the possibility that ionized hydrogen could be made into a reduced mass neutron since the reduced mass neutron won't produce radioactive isotopes needing gamma shielding. Ionized hydrogen, i.e. a proton, would become a reduced mass neutron by "colliding" with a free electron. As the electron approaches the proton it would be on a trajectory where the combination is a inevitable outcome. This scenario is based on on a analogy from celestial mechanics where different approach trajectories can result in different outcomes: collision, stable orbit, escape. In most environments, free electrons and protons form atoms, i.e. systems with stable orbits. However, the environment of some lattices would tend to channel protons and electrons on to paths such that they are bound to "collide". > This is included in Horace's theory, see > http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/DeflationFusion.pdf and also a possibility > with Hydrino fusion. > Regards, > > Robin van Spaandonk > > http://rvanspaa.freehostia.com/project.html > Yes many CF theorys involve neutrons or an entity that appears neutrally charged from the point of view of another nucleus. Harry
