----- Original Message ---- > From: Robin van Spaandonk In reply to Jones Beene's message
> >IOW - the simplest explanation for LENR is that it is the result of a version of the Oppenheimer-Phillips effect - such that the neutron is "stripped" non-thermally from deuterium, due to containment and near field Coulomb shielding = and that this sub-thermal neutron is then adsorbed by Pd (the fuel) to result eventually in an alpha decay and around one MeV of mass energy - thus the helium. > [snip]The reaction Pd106 + D -> H + He4 + Rh103 has an energy excess of about 1 MeV, which is quite a bit less than has been reported as characteristic of the reaction. QED ! Which is to say: Ockham's razor is of little real use as a predictive aid. We live in a complex world and we want to simplify it, sure. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the best, but most often it is not. Jones Which is NOT to say that the Oppenheimer-Phillips effect is eliminated ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oppenheimer-Phillips_effect ...and it could well be one of several ongoing reactions in LENR, and in fact it probably is always there - since is by far the simplest kind of nuclear reaction, and with the lowest threshold. By "always there" - this would imply that it serves as a "trigger" for D+D fusion, where the hot alpha from the Pd reacts with an adjacent 'target deuteron' - which is kind of a like nanoscale inertial confinement type of hot fusion. The "cold" part would be due to the staged energy release. The 800 pound gorilla in the closet, for LENR has never been that fusion is impossible - it has always been "where is the 24 MeV gamma?"
