NASA investigating Widom-Larsen Weak Interaction LENR Theory

[marvin57]

The nuclear reactor in your basement

“For NASA Langley,” according to Bushnell’s article, “the epiphany moment on LENR was the publication of the Widom-Larsen Weak Interaction LENR Theory,” which was published in 2006.

LENR might solve a mystery uncovered by NASA’s Genesis mission, that the pattern of oxygen isotopes on the sun differs greatly from that of Earth.

We start by processing nickel so that it can hold hydrogen the way a sponge holds water. The hydrogen is ionized, meaning that each hydrogen atom has its electron stripped away, leaving only a proton.

Electrons in the metal are made to oscillate together in such a way that the electromagnetic energy stored in tens of thousands of them is transferred to a relative few, giving them enough energy to merge with nearby protons (the hydrogen ions) and form slow-moving neutrons. Those neutrons, as we noted, are immediately captured by nuclei of the metal atoms, setting in motion a chain of events which turns the nickel into copper and releases useful energy.

...

So what’s the hitch? It’s creating the right oscillation. “It turns out that the frequencies that we have to work at are in what I call a valley of inaccessibility,” Zawodny said. “Between, say, 5 or 7 THz and 30 THz, we don't have any really good sources to make our own controlled frequency.”

Tunable terahertz source = Free Electron Laser?

[kcdodd]

So, why not shoot an electron beam of the right energy at hydrogen dopped nickle?

[marvin57]

So, why not shoot an electron beam of the right energy at hydrogen dopped nickle?

I would speculate that the problem is how to hit the protons and then form a low-energy neutron. I would speculate that if you simply fired an electron beam at a bunch of protons, all that you would end up with is hydrogen.

Electrons in the metal are made to oscillate together in such a way that the electromagnetic energy stored in tens of thousands of them is transferred to a relative few, giving them enough energy to merge with nearby protons (the hydrogen ions) and form slow-moving neutrons.

This suggests that particular structures of ionised hydrogen (protons) embedded in crystals of nickel, with electrons floating around somwhere nearby, can be excited by particular resonant frequencies in the multi-terahartz range to superimpose their energy together to somehow excite a few electrons to combine with protons (rather than "orbit" around the proton as in a normal hydrogen atom) to form the slow neutrons.

I have no idea how this can work. NASA did say it was complex, but they do seem to be of the opinion that it could possibly work.

Here is an earlier NASA article talking about this possiblity.

LENR spaceplanes?



Spaceworks/NASA LENR space plane concepts

PS: Another potential source for terahertz radiation is a Quantum cascade laser

[KitemanSA]

So, why not shoot an electron beam of the right energy at hydrogen dopped nickle?

Can you get a 7-20THz electron?

[kcdodd]

So, why not shoot an electron beam of the right energy at hydrogen dopped nickle?

Can you get a 7-20THz electron?

I don't even know what a 7THz electron is. Could you explain it to me? Then I can say one way or the other.