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From: glenn@vlsi.ll.mit.edu (Glenn Chapman)
Newsgroups: sci.physics,sci.research,sci.space,sci.chem,sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Room Temperature fusion - possible indications?
Keywords: fusion deuterium power
Message-ID: <290@vlsi.ll.mit.edu>
Date: 23 Mar 89 21:55:49 GMT
Distribution: sci
Organization: MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington MA
Lines: 45


    A very astounding breakthrough just may have been made in nuclear
fusion.  According to both the Financial Times (Mar 23, pg. 1, 26, and 22)
and the Wall Street Journal (Mar. 23, b1 & b8) two scientist will announce
indications of room temperature fusion of heavy hydrogen (deuterium) inside
a solid material today at the University of Utah.  These are not off the 
wall guys - the FT points out that both are experimental experts in 
electrochemistry (Dr. Martin Fleischmann of Southampton University UK,
Dr. Stan Pons of University of Utah).  Fleischmann is also a fellow of 
the Royal Society in London.  I will summarize the articles but suggest
that you get hold of the FT one (the WSJ was written by someone who really
does not know the details).  I have added some physics info to make it
more understandable.
    The process they are using consists of the following.  Consider an
electrochemical cell (like a battery) with a platinum electrode, a heated
palladium electrode in a bath of heavy water (deuterium oxide).  Flow current
from the palladium (negative electrode) to the platinum electrode (positive 
one).  At some current the deuterium flow into the palladium, combined with
the effect of the material itself, causes the deuterium nuclei to come
together and fuse into helium 3 plus a neutron (with 3.27 MeV of energy) 
or tritium plus hydrogen (with 4.03 MeV, 1 MeV = 1.6E-13 Joules of energy).
(My speculation the fusion processes here are not certain).
To show the real strangeness here note that the repulsive forces from the
positive charges on the two nuclei normally require temperatures 
of 50 - 100 Million degrees to overcome (high temp. mean the atoms are
travelling very fast and so when they collide they overcome the repulsion
to get close enough together to have fusion occur).  This room temp. 
result is obviously very unusual.  What really indicates that fusion has
occurred is that the FT article states they saw fusion products, gamma
rays, tritium and neutrons, none of which are generated by chemical processes.
It is especially the neutrons that are important - that shows that fusion
occurred.  People at the UK Atomic Energy Authority say they know of the
work and are treating it seriously.  The article has been submitted to the
British science journal Nature.  Just my own speculation but one
thing that may agree with this is that there is a material called Zeolite
which stores hydrogen at densities higher than that of liquid hydrogen.
This shows that solids can force hydrogen atoms closer together than they
normally would be.
     There is a news conference that will be held today at U of Utah.  If
there is anyone who can get more information on this please send it to me.

                                                      Glenn Chapman
                                                      MIT Lincoln Lab
                                                      glenn@ll-vlsi.arpa
                                                      glenn@vlsi.ll.mit.edu