The problem (as always) in LENR: can we identify a version of a known nuclear reaction which will provide substantial excess energy, at low input energy, without a substantial output of gamma radiation or bremsstrahlung from a fast electron or activation from a neutron . thus requiring ONLY one miracle (the nuclear event itself), instead of two miracles (the event, and the masking of the physical evidence of the event)?
Answer: if deuterium experiences accelerated beta decay (the first miracle) then a modest amount of excess energy and no high energy radiation are expected. No other "single miracle" reaction of deuterium has yet been proposed to meet this criterion, since the excess energy is generally way too large to hide with any alternative explanation such as fusion or spallation. If one wishes to tie this problem into current topics in LENR (such as Holmlid's UDD), then the specific premise would be that an accelerated decay, not a nucleon disintegration, would be the probable result of dense deuterium being exposed to a laser pulse. Deuterium is not radioactive. However, all free neutrons are radioactive and decay in about 1000 seconds to a proton and electron with an excess energy of 780 keV. All neutrons, even bound neutrons, have been said by some physicists to be technically unstable in the long-term due to free neutron radioactivity . (but with exceedingly long half-lives). Accelerated beta decay is an accepted phenomenon in hydrogen isotopes, and occurs with tritium, for instance. We can propose a version of accelerated decay for UDD which solves many observational problems of LENR, and requires only the "single miracle". If an accelerated beta decay occurs in deuterium, you end up a nucleus consisting of two protons and no neutrons (a diproton). The protons repel, and so long as the available input energy is moderate, no gamma is expected. Background numbers. The mass of the proton is 1.0079 amu. The mass of the neutron is 1.0087. The difference is .0008 amu. The electron mass in amu is 0.00055. If the bound neutron in the deuteron undergoes a novel type of decay to a proton and an electron, which is instigated by a laser, a large magnetic field, or both - there is extra mass energy of .00025 amu = 233 keV. The former deuterium nucleus, after emitting the electron using a fraction of that energy in a quasi-beta decay, now has two protons which repel with an average energy which could be absorbed in the water of an electrolysis cell and avoid detection. Protons are composed of two Up quarks and one Down quark. The neutron is made of two Down and one Up quark. Can an intense magnetic field with laser irradiation, disrupt QCD color exchange to convert a DQ to a UQ due to QCD disruption in strong magnetic field? M. N. Chernodub or CNRS, University of Tours, France has a paper which makes a case for this proposition: "QCD in strong magnetic field": physik.uni-graz.at/~dk-user/talks/Chernodub_25112013.pdf If he is correct, then some of Holmlid's work can be reinterpreted - not as nucleon disintegration but as accelerated beta decay of deuterium due to QCD disruption, resulting in a temporary diproton. Then and finally . ta da. (drum roll). we have identified the long awaited conservation of miracles explanation of cold fusion, having reduced the problem to the single miracle, instead of two or more. .leaving open the related question of explaining Ni-H. but let's face it, there is no possibility of a single explanation for both, other than Holmlid's complete disintegration. Like many here, I find "complete nucleon disintegration" with only laser input - hard to accept, especially compared with accelerated decay. Jones Accelerated decay of tritium: www.lenr-canr.org/acrobat/Reifenschwreducedrad.pdf
