On May 6, 2013, at 6:49 PM, Eric Walker wrote:
On Mon, May 6, 2013 at 10:34 AM, Edmund Storms
<[email protected]> wrote:
Eric, ALL nuclear reactions generate heat. Alpha emission is a
nuclear reaction. Therefore, heat was generated.
Ha. Yes, I stand corrected. I think I had "excess heat" in mind.
Also, Jed brings up a good point about the CR-39 trials -- we don't
know one way or another. If Abd were here, it would be very
difficult to discuss the CR-39 trials, because he'd complain about
every little point one tries to make. ;)
We know that when large amounts of heat are detected, alpha emission
at a comparable rate does not occur. Clearly, large heat production
and alpha emission are not related.
I'm afraid we keep on going around in circles on this point. You
are assering that prompt alphas comparable to the heat that is
generated are not produced, and I'm trying to figure out what the
basis is for your assertion. Until I have convinced myself that
this is correct on the basis of something other than your assertion,
I won't be able to follow you to your conclusion of slow helium
formation. I think it's not as bad as when we started -- I now have
some more details to work with and Hagelstein's papers to read.
Eric, you need to consider some basic requirements. If an energetic
particle is produced, such as an alpha, a second particle must be
present to carry away the momentum. That is why when He is produced by
hot fusion, either a gamma is emitted as the second particle or the He
fragments into two particles. In the case of cold fusion, no gamma is
emitted and the He does not fragment. Therefore, a new mechanism must
operate to carry away the momentum while keeping the He intact and
without producing a detectable gamma. This is the unique behavior of
CF, which has lead to its rejection. You simply can not produce a
single particle with high kinetic energy without the energy being
shared with another particle. The He produced by CF shows no evidence
for a second particle.
In addition, an upper limit exists to hte energy of an alpha,
calculated by Peter, above which the alpha would produce detectable
secondary radiation.
The various theories all try to find a way for this energy-momentum to
be lost gradually in the form of photons or phonons that are too weak
to be detected. Such a process, once started, must drain all the mass-
energy out of the He. This is not just my opinion, but the opinion of
everyone who has studied the process.
Ed Storms
And NO, helium can not be produced by a reaction that sometimes
makes alpha and sometimes releases He without kinetic energy. Such a
reaction is too improbable to be seriously considered.
You've gone further than I can go yet. :) I haven't convinced
myself that there's ever 4He formation without kinetic energy.
Eric
