"Positronium: Old Dog, New Tricks" by David B. Cassidy is the title of a paper that provides additional background for an exotic interpretation of an important new experiment, but stops short of the newest trick for this old dog.
http://pyweb.swan.ac.uk/quamp/quampweb/talks/CASSIDY_QuAMP_2013.pdf The latest trick for positronium would be as the mechanism for gain in the Mizuno experiment, as demonstrated at MIT where deuterium is seen to fission into two atoms of hydrogen with low radiation and no helium. That basic reaction, without more (as suggested in recent posts) would be endothermic... at least without an causative contribution from "somewhere else." A good candidate for this contribution can be called virtual positronium: aka the epo field, Ps BEC, quantum foam, even ZPE. There is an ongoing argument that ZPE is inherently bound into a cross identity with virtual positronium and the background Bose condensate which Don Hotson calls a BEC of positronium. Positronium could possibly enter the deuterium fission picture due to conservation of charge in an inverse beta reaction that converts D2 gas into double stripping reaction into four protons with a net gain in range of ~100-200 keV. Historically, Beta particles are either electrons or positrons (antielectrons) and are generally emitted instead of absorbed. However EC (Electron Capture) is the primary decay mode for isotopes with a relative superabundance of protons; and yet a corresponding reaction that absorbs an antielectron, as opposed to emitting one, is previously unknown. Therefore, this explanation will seem unlikely, in the minds of conventional physics - but to the extent that Mizuno can be best explained if it existed - we should not be blind to the fact that it fits the reported circumstances and data quite well. Consider that every positronium capture would transfer a mass energy of about 1.024 MeV into 3-space from the vacuum, which energy is consistent with experimental results - no other suggested nuclear reaction is even close. Moreover, this hypothesis is completely falsifiable. Falsifiability should give us a better answer in the short term. In the mean time, as background for the hypothesis - there is the Hotson interpretation of Dirac which has been mentioned many times here. Dirac's "sea" is explained by Hotson as the extra-dimensional BEC field which contains only positronium. It can be called the "Ps BEC" the epo field or ZPE. There is bleed over from this dimension ("reciprocal space" is what Dirac called it) into 3-space: Wheeler's quantum foam. As for application to Mizuno - this background field of quantum foam will bleed over into 3-space via positive charge deficits in situations local conditions create an enhanced charge deficit. One such local condition would be where deuterons are loaded into metals with neutron rich isotopes (Ni-64 is at the top of the list). Of more than passing concern: Why would such a basic decay nuclear reaction, which can be called PsC (or positron capture) have been completely overlooked in physics prior to this experiment? Hmmm ... That really goes back to a basic mindset where one can think of present day physics admirably - as either highly advanced in 2014, or else with a dose of disdain - a state of relative darkness. In 50 years, will the mainstream will look back at today and laugh at the high level of pompous ignorance? Absolutely - if LENR is real. In interpreting Mizuno's results, we are very likely being held back by what is in effect an old dog, one that needs to be taught a few new tricks. Jones
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