Here is a high level description of the theory from a NASA conference on Aviation Unleashed NASA Aviation Unleashed
Widom Larsen Theory Overview
When Hydrogen is "charged" into a metal like Nickel, the electron joins the electron sea, and the proton (Hydrogen nucleus) separate. When one of these free electrons has enough energy, there is a chance that one of the free protons will capture the electron and form a neutron.
Because of the conditions at the time of the creation of the neutron, it has almost no kinetic energy. Because it has very low energy, it is absorbed by one of the local atoms
So one of the Nickel atoms grabs the neutron, and the new isotope of Nickel may be unstable
This table shows nickel capturing one neutron
The current state of the art is like the understanding of magnetism was 300 years ago. You needed a lodestone to make a magnet. Now we understand how to turn electricity into magnetism. Once the theory catches up with the experiments, we will learn how to reliably recreate the conditions that allow the electron capture that creates the ultra low energy neutrons
An Electron + a Proton = Hydrogen not a Neutron
This is so freaking funny, I have to read the link you gave me
Looked at the NASA Aviation Unleashed presentations, they don’t describe Rossi’s experiment, they describe the work of other scientists as has been discussed on this very thread.
I looked on Google at all the Aricles (Widom-Larsen +Rossi), Just because an article references Widom-Larsen doesn’t mean it is relevant or Widom-Larsen was an endorsement of the experiment.
This would be the same as if I was mentioned in an article with Steve Jobs, it adds what appears to be instant creditability because they mention me along side Steve Jobs but in reality it is meaningless.
Widom-Larsen describes a theoretical way in which low energy nuclear reactions could take place that hasn’t been demonstrated, it is also not fusion, and it was hoped it may explain some of the claims of cold fusion.
It is a thought experiment.
dila813 is correct.
The combination process of (proton + electron) to produce 1 neutron VIOLATES the law of conservation of Lepton Number. Electron has a lepton number of +1 and anti-neutrino has a lepton number of -1. Neutrons and protons (in fact, all baryons) have a lepton number of zero.
The free neutron has a 1/2 life of 15 minutes and produces 1 proton, 1 electron, AND (VERY IMPORTANT!) 1 anti-neutrino. We are immersed in a sea of neutrinos (anti- and otherwize).
There is absolutely nothing special or particular to Nickel to facilitate the (proton, electron, anti-neutrino) combination. No matter how low the rate of this “spontaneous” production of neutrons from hydrogen atoms alone, the cosmos would awash with free neutrons.
I know that some say that well, the Universe started being all hydrogen and later one has all these atoms with plenty of neutrons in them. The answer lies in the weak anti-symmetry of the weak force, thus pushing the Universe (at least the part we observe) to be mainly matter and not anti-matter. (anti-neutrino, neutrino) can be produced spontaneously from photon-(zero-point radiation
field) interactions but in time - since all particles have some nonzero interaction with all forces - production of one neutrino type predominates.
So people are grasping at straws in trying to come with a mechanism for Rossi’s scheme.
Flippin' Sweet. I'll have to put time on my calendar to read that.
Second question: since this is apparently a *surface* effect ("Surface Plasmon Polaritons"), do any characteristics of the metal surface (relative surface area of different crystal faces; presence or topology of boundaries between crystal faces; impurities in the metal) affect the rate of the reaction? Can one "tune" the metal -- in principle, if not yet in practice -- in increase the energy yield?
Cheers!