-----Original Message----- From: mixent@bigpond Perhaps more to the point, where does the energy come from to create the muon in the first place? A muon has a "mass" of 105.7 MeV. The only nuclear reaction that can produce that sort of energy in one go is a heavy element fission reaction. Even if the first one is a cosmic-ray muon, where do the rest come from? One muon can catalyze multiple fusion reactions, but these occur sequentially, and none of them release enough energy individually to produce a new muon.
Robin, The idea is that during the energy exchange of catalysis, the lifetime of the muon is extended by the energy which would go into gamma radiation. This would be instead of creation of a new muon. However, I am starting to agree with your skepticism, and Eric's, that this could happen routinely. That is the value of a forum where weak ideas are challenged.
