An experiment that earned Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann widespread ridicule in 1989 wasn't necessarily bogus
A surprising opportunity to explore something new in chemistry and physics has emerged. In March 1989, electrochemists Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons, at the University of Utah, announced that they had "established a sustained nuclear fusion reaction" at room temperature. By nearly all accounts, the event was a fiasco. The fundamental reason was that the products of their experiments looked nothing like deuterium-deuterium (D+D) fusion.
In the following weeks, Caltech chemist Nathan Lewis sharply criticized Fleischmann and Pons in a symposium, a press release, a one-man press conference at the American Physical Society meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, and during his oral presentation at the APS meeting. Despite Lewis' prominence in the media spotlight, he never published a peer-reviewed critique of the peer-reviewed Fleischmann-Pons papers, and for good reason. Lewis' critique of the Fleischmann-Pons experiment was based on wrong guesses and assumptions.
Richard Petrasso, a physicist at MIT, took Fleischmann and Pons to task for their claimed gamma-ray peak. Petrasso and the MIT team, after accusing Fleischmann and Pons of fraud in the Boston Herald, later published a sound and well-deserved peer-reviewed critique of what had become multiple versions of the claimed peak.
From this dubious beginning, to the surprise of many people, a new field of nuclear research has emerged: It offers unexplored opportunities for the scientific community. Data show that changes to atomic nuclei, including observed shifts in the abundance of isotopes, can occur without high-energy accelerators or nuclear reactors. For a century, this has been considered impossible. In hindsight, glimpses of the new phenomena were visible 27 years ago.
[...] Hidden in the confusion are many scientific reports, some of them published in respectable peer-reviewed journals, showing a wide variety of experimental evidence, including transmutations of elements. Reports also show that LENRs (Low Energy Nuclear Reactors) can produce local surface temperatures of 4,000-5,000 K and boil metals (palladium, nickel and tungsten) in small numbers of scattered microscopic sites on the surfaces of laboratory devices.
For nearly three decades, researchers in the field have not observed the emission of dangerous radiation. Heavy shielding has not been necessary. The Widom-Larsen theory offers a plausible explanation—localized conversion of gamma radiation to infrared radiation. The implication is that immense technological opportunities may exist if a practical source of energy can be developed from these laboratory curiosities.
Related Stories
Whether Cold Fusion or Low-Energy Nuclear Reactions, U.S. Navy Researchers Reopen Case
Scientists at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division have pulled together a group of Navy, Army, and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) labs to try and settle the debate. Together, the labs will conduct experiments in an effort to establish if there's really something to the cold fusion idea, if it's just odd chemical interactions, or if some other phenomenon entirely is taking place in these controversial experiments.
[...] Aside from the recent promising findings from NASA, Google published a paper in Nature in 2019 revealing that the company had spent US $10 million to research cold fusion since 2015. The company teamed up with researchers at institutions including MIT, the University of British Columbia, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The research group found no evidence of classic Pons-Fleischmann-style cold fusion, but it did find evidence of the larger umbrella category of LENRs—suggesting (as the NASA group also reported) that nuclear fusion may be possible in locally-hot sites in otherwise room temperature metals.
"We got our impetus from the Google paper appearing in Nature," says Carl Gotzmer, Indian Head's Chief Scientist. Gotzmer's duties include keeping the Navy abreast of the latest scientific developments. Gotzmer says his cold fusion/LENR interest developed after attending the International Conference on Cold Fusion in 2003. After a four-hour conversation with Fleischmann himself, and seeing presentations from across the world giving evidence of nuclear transmutations, he says he began to follow this field in earnest.
"Quite frankly, [to] other folks who have tried this over the years, it was considered a career ender," says Gotzmer. But the Indian Head team decided that, as a government lab, they had a little more freedom to pursue a controversial topic, so long as it also offered up the prospect of rewarding scientific results.
Related: It's Not Cold Fusion but It's Something
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Friday December 09 2016, @11:53PM
It's been known that the Navy has been researching LENRs in recent years.
An interesting article, but don't count on the source to lend it cred:
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 09 2016, @11:59PM
To say "the Navy has been researching it" is like saying "NASA has been researching the EM-drive", which is to say, no. Because some guys working at a Navy facility were conducting "experiments" in their spare time isn't the same thing as the Navy providing research funding for it.
(Score: 3, Funny) by takyon on Saturday December 10 2016, @12:08AM
LENR and emdrive are actually a Navy-NASA collaboration. They will combine the two technologies to make flying ships, and formally merge the agencies.
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(Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Saturday December 10 2016, @12:36AM
With EM-Drive propulsion, of course.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Saturday December 10 2016, @12:39AM
Blah, that was supposed to say "With EM-Drive propulsion, anything is possible, of course."
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Saturday December 10 2016, @12:50AM
Anything is possible with...
_ o _ _ _ _ _ o _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Mod up the post to buy a letter.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by edIII on Saturday December 10 2016, @01:01AM
OK, you little extortionist, my curiosity was piqued :)
You owe me a letter.....
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Saturday December 10 2016, @01:02AM
You get to pick the letter.
_ o _ _ _ _ _ o _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by edIII on Saturday December 10 2016, @01:09AM
Ooooh, bonus!
_ o _ _ _ _ _ o _ _ ? _ _ _ _
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 3, Funny) by takyon on Saturday December 10 2016, @01:12AM
_ o _ _ _ _ _ o _ _ T _ _ _ _
I meant pick a letter of the alphabet, but alright.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Saturday December 10 2016, @04:17AM
I enjoy how this is far more difficult than intended.
R
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 3, Funny) by takyon on Saturday December 10 2016, @04:51AM
_ o _ _ _ _ _ o _ _ T R _ _ _
it's coming together
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 10 2016, @05:25AM
I know (answer at end of post).
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DONALD JOHN TRUMP
Fuck him, fuck you and fuck 2016.
(Score: 2) by Unixnut on Saturday December 10 2016, @08:08PM
I have to say, this is one of the most impressive and novel attempts at Karma whoring I have ever seen.
I tip my hat to thee, sir!
(Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday December 11 2016, @04:12AM
Karma whoring at 50 karma.
Nothing has any meaning! burn and churn! Woo!
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Marand on Sunday December 11 2016, @07:01AM
So what happens if you get downmodded? Do you take away a letter? ;)
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 09 2016, @11:54PM
The summary makes out Pons & Fleischmann as the abused victims of the evil establishment, but that is far from the case. The attacks on their experiment was never about the science, it was all about how it was handled and sold. It was a wildly amazing and exciting announcement that was backed up by nothing. There was no peer reviewed paper, there was a fax of a preprint and that was it (I've got a copy of a copy of a copy, etc. of that fax stuck in a box somewhere; I was in grad school for physics at the time). There were no fusion by-products, and there was no reproducibility. Everything that followed went against all scientific protocols and norms. The lab was closed to reviewers. You couldn't see their apparatus. You couldn't see their lab notes. Remember the National Cold Fusion Institute? Probably not. What about the Utah researchers who wrote a paper that reported null results and were threatened with a slander lawsuit by P&F lawyers?
It is a long and sorrid tale based not in science, but in greed and glory seekers. Every reasonable scientist felt that something might be going on, but if it were, it was a very small effect, but if they had to bet, based upon the ugly reaction of P&F and their supporters and their lack of supporting data (some of it comically inept and careless) they probably would go with incompetence over real effect.
However, like many other things, it has survived all these years on the backs of the conspiracy idiots ("We'd totally have all the free energy we would want if it wasn't for BIG OIL"). It isn't worth my time to look up the references, but all those quiet confirming papers mentioned in the article summary, I would bet they are all from the same crowd conducted with the same competency as the "hundreds" (which turned into "dozens", which turned into "that guy") of confirming results announced in the weeks and months after the original P&F press conference. Go look up the conference papers from one of those Low Energy Nuclear Reactor workshops. If it ever did turn out to be some sort of real effect going on, don't fool yourself and think it is some kind of vindication for P&F and that crowd. It would only be a fortunate coincidence.
(Score: 2) by mechanicjay on Saturday December 10 2016, @12:50AM
I did a research paper on this mess for a class in college. The details are fuzzy at this point, but my conclusion to the paper was basically: "These guys were total humps. There is an interesting reaction that they observed that 1) Is absolutely NOT fusion 2) probably warrants some research with fresh eyes now that the initial community outrage has passed"
My VMS box beat up your Windows box.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 11 2016, @08:50PM
2) probably warrants some research with fresh eyes now that the initial community outrage has passed"
That's why all that outrage was unscientific and got in the way of science.
When people discover something new it should not be surprising if they are wrong about the way it actually works, but it doesn't mean there is nothing new to investigate. There were enough people reproducing some of the stuff to indicate that there was a phenomenon. Whether it was actual fusion, maybe not but there was something.
See also: https://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=223170&cid=18073680 [slashdot.org]
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 10 2016, @01:00AM
It's all a popularity contest to gain notoriety and funding. And nubile grad studies who give good head. Scientists are scumbags.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 10 2016, @01:03AM
Blow me for grant monies!!
(Score: 2) by edIII on Saturday December 10 2016, @01:03AM
Yes, yes, scientists are scum. Now let's hear more about the nubile grad students that give good head....
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 10 2016, @01:19AM
The nubile grad students are young and naive and still believe there will be jobs for them in industry after they earn advanced degrees! When their job search fails utterly, they find the tenure track was a myth too! Finally hoping for work as lecturers, and failing to secure lecturer positions, they consider teaching high school instead! By now the formerly nubile former grad students have lost their youthful good looks as they seek teacher certification, but suddenly from out of nowhere, accusations of pedophilia bar them from teaching! Washed up ugly losers snap hard, climb the tallest building on campus, and reach for the sniper rifle.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 10 2016, @01:25AM
If you had watched a certain man's rally in Baton Rouge, Louisiana today, you would have discovered that he will #MAGA and fix unemployment and the broken school systems.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 10 2016, @01:45AM
Government can't afford to be the employer of last resort without raising taxes on the rich to pay the poor. Watch as Facebook and Amazon and Microsoft suddenly become Taiwanese corporations to evade American taxes. Looking forward to the entire country becoming Detroit.
(Score: 2) by tibman on Saturday December 10 2016, @06:20PM
Cheaper rent though.
SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 10 2016, @01:06AM
Those days are long gone. 59% of grad students now are transgender so you have no idea of what lies beneath their skirts.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 10 2016, @01:21AM
Underkilt does not matter, most every one has a nice moist mouth.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 10 2016, @03:48AM
I just imagine some old guys cackling over these dumb jokes, unaware of how vastly out of touch they are...
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 10 2016, @05:34AM
I don't imagine it, and the more's the pity! If only I could forget. And get bar-coded.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday December 10 2016, @11:38AM
♫ Transgenders, more than meets the eye ♫
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by Bobs on Saturday December 10 2016, @03:45PM
Cold fusion sure sound nice. I don't know much about so looked for contemporary info.
Wikipedia has this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_fusion [wikipedia.org]
Apparently various government and research institutions have spent over $65 million looking into this, numerous conferences and publication done.
Nothing solid to show for it.
I sure wish it was true. A lot of competent people spent a lot of time and money trying to make it work and some are still trying, but I don't see any credible evidence of it working yet.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 10 2016, @05:07PM
... and what is there to show for it, except MIT hot fusion researchers (apparently falsely) claiming cold fusion does not work because they could not figure out how to replicate one experiment? http://pesn.com/2011/12/27/9601994_History_of_MITs_Blatant_Suppression_of_Cold_Fusion/ [pesn.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 10 2016, @10:34PM
Do you realize that $66M is peanuts? And if cold fusion succeeds whoever wields its power will become instantly absolutely godlike.
(Score: 2) by Bobs on Saturday December 10 2016, @03:57PM
This is the most current and competent site with new info on Cold Fusion / Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR) I found:
http://news.newenergytimes.net [newenergytimes.net]
Founded in 2000, the New Energy Times LENR News Site is the leading source of original, independent news and investigations about low-energy nuclear reactions.