On Sat, May 25, 2013 at 5:38 PM, Edmund Storms <[email protected]>wrote:
If D+H can fuse, what effect do you think the relative concentration of D > and H has on the rate? The D2O contains as much H2O as the H2 contains > deuterium. Therefore, both conditions should produce the same amount of He3. > I do not see the need to draw a straightforward conclusion about the ratio of d and p. There might be a straightforward relationship, or there might be a combination of several parameters at play, including the lattice geometry, the ionization energy of the inner shell electrons, the presumably decreased mobility of heaver d, and the overall loading. One wants to avoid imposing too much a priori logic upon the situation or risk tossing out possibilities that were a little more subtle than one might have been anticipating. Very basic reasoning about clear-cut requirements is fine, but let's avoid relying upon inferences that are at several steps removed from the actual experimental data. Nevertheless, no He3 is found when D2O is used containing a little H2O. Why > not? On the other hand, the rate of tritium production is sensitive to the > D/H ratio. This is a major clue - we don't get many clues in this field > and have to make the most of what is observed. > It is easy to ascribe the tritium ratio to secondary fusion events from fast particles. As for the production of 3He versus 4He, presumably driven in my own hypothesis by the main Auger-related mechanism, it's not yet clear to me how this would be governed for the reason mentioned above. I will have to keep closer tabs on the low hydrogen concentrations used in the Ni/H experiments. I wasn't aware of that. Eric
