Very brief, semi-technical comparison of LENR transmutations of elements/isotopes on Earth versus nucleosynthesis of elements in stars. You don't need a star or a fission reactor to make neutrons, transmute elements/isotopes, and under the right conditions, release large amounts of clean, 'green' nuclear binding energy.

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Commercializing a Next-Generation Source of Safe Nuclear Energy
Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENRs)
Weak interaction LENR transmutation reactions on Earth
versus nucleosynthesis in stars
Brief Semi-Technical Overview
“Energy, broadly defined, has
become the most important
geostrategic and geoeconomic
challenge of our time.”
Thomas Friedman
New York Times, April 28, 2006
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Fusion and fission are not predominant in LENR systems
Fundamental concepts of condensed matter weak interactions in
Widom-Larsen theory of LENRs are illustrated below:
No strong interaction fusion or heavy
1. E-M radiation on metallic hydride surface
element fission taking place below
increases mass of surface plasmon electrons
(radiation) + e− → e −
~
2. Heavy-mass surface plasmon polariton 1.
electrons ( ~ − react directly with surface
e)
e − + p+ → n + ν
+ ) or deuterons (d+) to produce ultra
protons (p ~
low momentum (ULM) neutrons (nulm or 2nulm, ulm e
2.
respectively) and an electron neutrino (νe)
e − + d + → 2nulm + ν e
~
3. Ultra low momentum neutrons (nulm) are
nulm + (Z , A) → (Z , A + 1)
captured by nearby atomic nuclei (Z, A)
representing some element with charge (Z) 3.
Unstable or Stable
and atomic mass (A). ULM neutron absorption
produces a heavier-mass isotope (Z, A+1) via
(Z , A + 1) → (Z + 1, A + 1) + e− + ν e
transmutation. This new isotope (Z, A+1) may
itself be stable or unstable
Unstable Isotope New element – stable
4.
4. Unstable isotopes beta decay, producing: or unstable
transmuted new element with increased ‘Green’ weak interaction β- decays (above),
charge (Z+1), ~ same mass (A+1) as “parent” alpha decays (not shown), and gamma-shielded
nucleus; β particle (e- ); and antineutrino ( ν e ) neutron captures produce most of the energy
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Neutron-capture transmutations on earth via LENRs
Miley et al. began with an ordinary Nickel cathode - two weeks later, ended-up with experimentally
observed LENR transmutation product spectrum that looked like it had been created in a star
Start – Nickel (Ni) cathode placed in current-driven electrolytic chemical cell
current- Finish - Mass spectrum of LENR transmutation products in cathode
See: “Nuclear Abundances in Metallic Hydride Electrodes of With no fitting, simple two-parameter ‘optical’ model of ULM
two-
Electrolytic Chemical Cells” arXiv:cond-mat/0602472 (Feb 2006)
arXiv:cond- neutron absorption based on W-L theory of LENRs predicts
W-
Widom and Larsen product isotopic abundance peaks shown in yellow above
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Transmutations in nature: element nucleosynthesis in stars
• Except for Big Bang hydrogen/deuterium and
helium, astrophysicists believe that most
elements in the Universe lighter than Iron (Fe)
were created by charged-particle fusion Artist’s conception: red giant star from
reactions inside stars surface of an orbiting planet
• Elements heavier than Fe thought to be According to Widom-Larsen,
•
similar to condensed matter
created via neutron capture (absorption)
LENR systems where neutron
nucleosynthesis reactions in stars. Two types
flux can be 109 – 1016 cm2/sec
of such neutron capture processes thought to
occur in hot stellar plasmas: Difference is that neutrons in
•
LENR systems can be ultra low
– s-process (slow) occurs in stars, e.g., red momentum; vastly larger
giants; neutron flux 105 – 1011 cm2/sec absorption cross-sections
Also unlike stars, little gamma
•
– r-process (rapid) occurs in supernova
photodissociation; sometimes
explosions; neutron flux > 1022 cm2/sec net rate of nucleosynthesis can
be higher in LENR systems than
• Heavier elements (A > Fe) are formed in in some stellar environments
successive cycles of neutron creation,
neutron absorption, neutrino production, beta
decays of unstable neutron-rich isotopes, and
stable element production
Supernova remnant
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Astrophysics: neutron-capture nucleosynthesis in stars
Partial details of s-process in stars Overall r-process in stars
Colored arrows in chart show
a portion of the s-process
s- r-process pathway is thin,
pathway in stars jagged bright red line above
Note: stellar s- and r-process element abundance
r- Above r-process figure is from Sneddon and Cowen,
peaks generally differ somewhat from those “Genesis of the Heaviest Elements in the Milky Way
Galaxy” Science 299, 70 (2003)
produced in LENR experimental systems on earth
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Vast isotopic parameter space may be accessible to LENRs
‘Map’ of stable and unstable isotopes that could be produced in LENR condensed matter systems
‘Valley of stability’ (nuclei of stable
elements) shown in black
This vast neutron-rich isotopic
region may be accessible to LENRs
LENR neutron-catalyzed weak interaction transmutations – involve combination of neutron
production, neutron capture, and energetic beta decays of neutron-rich isotopes. LENRs can move back
neutron
and forth between producing stable products in the (black) valley of stability to unstable β-decay
valley
isotopes located in neutron-rich (greenish) regions to the right of it. This is very similar to s- and r-
neutron-
process neutron-capture nucleosynthesis in stars, only at vastly lower temperatures/pressures
Source of Graphic: Nature, 445, January 4, 2007
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