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.
You’ll never convince those that refuse to face facts and want to be fooled.
Barracuda1412,
If you would spend some time reading up on the Widom-Larsen theory, you would have seen that the capture of an electron by a proton creates a neutron and the correct neutrino.
The neutrino goes zipping off to who knows where, but the neutron sticks around, and since it is in a solid and has nearly NO momentum, its wave function is very large. This neutron gets absorbed in a matter of a few femto seconds.
No free neutrons, just atoms getting way too many neutrons.