Rossi's 2009 TOF-SIMS analyses digitized (+ theory speculation)

Quote from axil

When Holmlid tells you all that he produces 10 billion K mesons in an instantaneous burst from a laser shot, you don't believe him. Your ability to accept complexity is limiting your ability to think open mindedly like Mary Yugo.

I trust in Holmlid's sincerity, if not objectivity. It is the sincerity of others that is in doubt.

It depends on how he claims that, and the observables he can show to support the idea, and also he would need to make certain this is the only explanation and finally perhaps give a nod to parsimony. So are there at least 10 billion photons in the laser shot? What is the energy of each photon? What is the source of the K mesons? Are they synthesized de novo, or are they released from nuclei?

Quote from Longview

It depends on how he claims that, and the observables he can show to support the idea, and also he would need to make certain this is the only explanation and finally perhaps give a nod to parsimony. So are there at least 10 billion photons in the laser shot? What is the energy of each photon? What is the source of the K mesons? Are they synthesized de novo, or are they released from nuclei?

"What is the source of the K mesons"

Holmlid said that a brief exposure of the catalyst to room light produces a limited number of mesons. So it sounds like all the photons from the room light are concentrated to only a few SPPs.

SPPs produce particles like Hawking radiation. It is called hadronization.

See page 8 in this article

http://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/0507219v3.pdf

All the mesons produce will be identically the same. This is seen in the Holmlid meson decay timing. All the mesons decay products hit the detector at the same instant.

There is a SPP condensate involved. When UV light is absorbed by the condensate, all the photons are concentrated to a few SPPs who form it into a meson. When there are more photon energy involved as provided in a laser shot, more SPPs can form particles from the "SHARED" energy. The condensate is an energy concentration device using super absorption where incoming photons produce particles via specific SPP members of the condensate. This condensation mechanism is how a laser works.

Keep these items(dots to connect) in mind

Two different sources for producing H(0) have been used
for this study. They are similar to a source described in a
previous publication.28 Potassium-doped iron oxide catalyst
samples (cylindric pellets)32,33 in the sources produce the ultradense H(0) from hydrogen or deuterium gas flow at pressures of 10−5–100 mbars. The sources give a slowly decaying muon signal for several hours and days after being used for producing H(0). They can be triggered to increase the muon production by laser irradiation inside the chambers or sometimes even by turning on the fluorescent lamps in the laboratory for a short time

Note that energy for muon production is stored for "several hours and days after being used for producing H(0)."

They can be triggered to increase the muon production... sometimes even by turning on the fluorescent lamps in the laboratory for a short time

&"There is a very good chance that LENRs are not so unusual as to require total paradigm shifts for reasonably concise understanding and hence to theories of useful predictive power and engineering utility."

Limited to the argument that LENR = nanoscale fusion, then the reaction is not unusual. My laboratory experiment produced helium from hydrogen fusion. Simply a proton transmutation where a catalyst allowed the Coulomb force to be nulled.

Ecco and Axil: I do not see any conflicts in your suggestions, you are describing processes at different level of abstraction. Both can be correct and in fact supports each other in the suggestions that a cycling/pulsation is needed. The cycling of temp and pressure will in Axils underlying process be building up new nanowires. All this is also consistent with Piantelli co-deposition and Storms Active sites, NAE:s.

But: I feel this will be a never ending discussion, unless some real experiments will be performed along your Lines.

Very interesting. Beene suggest an experiment and that is the way to verify or dismiss or refine the proposed suggestions about SPP.

However I don't see why photon frequency can not be efficient in the range of IR. As long as we have coherent light (visible or IR) in the 'right' frequency then the nanowires can densify and amplify EM as expected.

What is the 'right' frequency (or multiply of) for Axils theory to work?

I do not see the logic of Beenes to choose a Sodium light for his experiment. Why not make an experiment with a range of all frequencies through a prism, to see which frequency(ies) that give a higher yield? Then choose a light source for optimizing the found input frequency.

Quote from Ecco

The spectrum generated by heat energy alone is spread along a very wide frequency range. If such energy was concentrated on a narrower band one could ideally use less power to achieve the same results (if the theory is true).

The issue I anticipate is that the part of the spectrum that is doing the work might be in the EUV, which is perhaps present in small amounts in the high-energy tail of the Boltzmann distribution when we're talking about a hot metal. Photons in this range cause electronic transitions in any electron orbitals that are not very loosely bound (those that emit photons in the visible or infrared ranges). For photons in the EUV you'd either need to know what the wavelength is upfront, or you'd need a broadband spectrum to explore the phenomenon. If one settles too quickly on a monochromatic source, the risk is that one ends up picking a wavelength that will not do anything but generate modest amounts of heat.

Note also that EUV is hard to work with, because it's readily absorbed, including by oxygen and nitrogen (at certain wavelengths). If, by contrast, the EUV is coming from the broadband profile of the metal when it is hot, there will be nothing to get in the way and absorb it.

I mention EUV as one possibility. It might be that x-ray photons are also effective, for example, as they will also cause atomic transitions in more tightly bound electron orbitals in moderately sized atoms.

Here are some thoughts about light and SERS-active materials for LENR experiments.

First a selection of excerpt from published papers.
SERS Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy
http://www.cem.msu.edu/~cem924sg/ChristineHicks.pdf
SERS: Materials, applications, and the future
http://sites.northwestern.edu/…ations-and-the-future.pdf
Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ac00181a001

The most effective substrates for SERS consist of small metal particles or rough surfaces of conductive materials.
Particle sizes or roughness features are on the order of tens of nanometers.
Classic SERS-active substrates having plasmonic nanostructures are made of gold, silver or copper.
Alkali metals (lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium and cesium) form good SERS-active substrates,
but alkali metals must be handled and kept in inert or reducing atmosphere.
Alkali metals react very quickly with moisture and air and the desired properties of alkali metal surfaces are lost.
The excitation wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation is near the visible region or in the visible region.

Palladium and platinum exhibit some enhancements for excitation in the near ultraviolet.
Metallic aluminum has main plasmon band in the UV region.

Light incident on metal nanoparticles or metal surface roughness features, such as nanovoids or nanoprotrusions,
can excite conduction electrons, generating a localized surface plasmon or plasmon resonance.
Since the surface electrons of the metal are here confined to a small space,
the plasmon’s excitation is also confined to the metal nanoparticle or roughness feature of the metal.
The resulting electromagnetic field of the plasmon is very intense.
The field enhancement is greatest when the plasmon frequency is in resonance with the electromagnetic radiation.
The metal nanoparticle or roughness feature of the metal becomes polarized,
and the electromagnetic field in the interior of the metal becomes significantly larger than the applied field.

Here are some thoughts about making LENR experiments with light and SERS-active materials.

Arranging a light source inside the LENR test system has been rather demanding because of the high operating temperature of the LENR test system.
Conveying light with an optical fiber from an external light source to the LENR test system or through a transparent window to the LENR test system will be challenging in case of high hydrogen gas pressure in the test system.

Flashtubes provide tremendous peak power light pulses.
Release of light energy is squeezed to a very short period of time.
However, the time averaged power consumption of electricity is very reasonable and easily arranged.
For example, if a 330 microfarad capacitor is charged to 300 V, about 15 J (15 Ws) of energy is stored to the capacitor.
It is said that a good flashtube converts up to almost 50% of electrical energy into light.
If the duration of the flash is 0,001 s (1 ms), the momentary light power will be 0,5 * 15 Ws / 0,001 s = 7,5 kW.
Time averaged light power is just 0,5 * 15 Ws / 10 s = 0,75 W, so in this case there is nothing extraordinary in the test system
containing nickel, hydrogen and a SERS-active material if thermal power obtained from the heated test system
increases no more than 0,75 W compared to a test system that is only heated without adding light energy to the test system.

If recharging the capacitor takes 10 s, average electrical charging power is only 15 Ws / 10 s = 1,5 W.
Especially if a flashtube is driven below the rated power, the lifetime of the flashtube can be in the order 1 – 10 million flashes.
Getting e.g. one flash / 10 s from the flashtube means 115 – 1150 days lifetime.
Even if the ceramic tube of the LENR test system is only translucent, some part of the light pulse from the flashtube
will be transmitted through the ceramic wall and received by the SERS-active surface.
In case of a reaction chamber made of metal or other opaque material, a transparent window (e.g. sapphire window)
or a quartz optical fiber will help to introduce light or pulses of light into the reaction chamber.

&"Here are some thoughts about light and SERS-active materials for LENR experiments."

LENR experiments that produce fusion do not require light in the visible spectrum. The catalyst sealed in a metal tube will initiate hydrogen fusion at hydrogen dissociation temperature.

Talking about industrial hydrogen catalysts, here are a couple of examples.

In this case the goal for using a hydrogen catalyst is to dissociate molecular hydrogen (H2) to atomic hydrogen (H) that adsorbs on surface and is available for further reactions. In other words, here dissociation means breaking of the hydrogen – hydrogen chemical bond of molecular hydrogen H2.

Spicing up the nickel – lithium – hydrogen system with additional hydrogen catalysts creates some process challenges.

A typical styrene catalyst contains iron oxide (hematite, Fe2O3), potassium oxide (K2O) and structural promoters such as aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and chromium oxide (Cr2O3).
Heating styrene catalyst in hydrogen gas generates water vapor. Fe2O3 is reduced with hydrogen into Fe3O4, FeO and at least partially into metallic iron, but increasing water vapor concentration in a closed reaction space disturbs the reduction process and especially the formation of metallic iron is difficult. Potassium oxide, aluminum oxide and chromium oxide have very strong metal – oxygen bonds and they are not reduced with hydrogen gas. Metallic lithium does not survive in contact with water vapor. Lithium is converted into lithium oxide or lithium hydroxide. Water vapor and sources of water vapor are preferably eliminated before introducing metallic alkali metals to the reaction space.

Reduction behavior of iron oxides in hydrogen and carbon monoxide atmospheres
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apcata.2007.03.021

Having hot metallic alkali metal, e.g. lithium, in contact with iron oxide also causes a chemical reaction that consumes metallic alkali metal. Alkali metal forms strong chemical bond with oxygen. Alkali metal removes oxygen from iron oxide and alkali metal is oxidized into alkali metal oxide. As a consequence, free metallic alkali metal is lost permanently.
Metallic alkali metals such as lithium metal are thus lost in the presence of water vapor and metal oxides that have weak metal-oxygen bonds. In the presence of free oxygen or loosely bound oxygen, alkali metals are permanently oxidized into alkali metal oxides. Hydrogen cannot reduce alkali metal oxides or hydroxides back into elemental alkali metals. Metal oxides with weak metal-oxygen chemicals bonds should preferably be reduced before introducing metallic alkali metals to the reaction space.

Industrial ammonia catalyst serves as an example of an alternative hydrogen catalyst.
A typical ammonia catalyst for the Haber-Bosch process contains several phases after reduction: the core of the catalyst particles may have magnetite (Fe3O4) covered with a layer of wüstite (FeO) and finally elemental iron (Fe) on the surface of the particle. This catalyst is usually promoted with potassium oxide (K2O), calcium oxide (CaO), silicon dioxide (SiO2) and aluminum oxide (Al2O3). There is iron in the form of about 10-30 nm iron crystallites on the surface. The catalyst is paracrystalline with a lot of lattice defects and it has high surface area because of a porous structure.
The ammonia catalyst in reduced form with iron crystallites on surfaces is pyrophoric and it may ignite spontaneously in air, and iron burns into iron oxide. Pre-reduced catalyst is typically partially passivated by forming a thin layer of iron oxide on iron surface and that eliminates pyrophoric properties of the catalyst. That iron oxide surface must be reduced e.g. with flowing hydrogen gas into elemental iron before the catalyst can be used.

Thus in case of using both metallic lithium and iron-based catalyst in a test system, it is very useful to pretreat the iron-based catalyst to reduce any surface iron oxides into metallic iron before loading the iron-based catalyst into the test system. Although actual LENR tests are typically done in high purity hydrogen atmosphere, reduction preceding the tests can be done at elevated temperature for example with flowing 5% hydrogen 95% argon mixture to remove from the heated reduction space any water vapor that has been generated in the reduction process. Reduced iron-based catalyst is very sensitive to air and water vapor, so the pretreated (reduced) catalyst must be handled and loaded to the test system in inert or reducing gas atmosphere.

As a summary, oxygen (air) and water vapor are harmful for metallic alkali metals and for these hydrogen catalysts.

@pjs, thank you for the interesting and informed discussion of catalysts.

Quote from pjs

Although actual LENR tests are typically done in high purity hydrogen atmosphere

I don't think this is a safe generalization. LENR experiments range all over the map in what is done, including glow discharge in high vacuum and garage experiments where air gets mixed in and so on. Also, I hope anyone putting together experiments will not be too biased towards the idea that you need pure hydrogen; it may be that impurities in the air (or in the substrate) are either important or where everything is happening. (I myself wonder whether hydrogen does anything at all.)

Thank you Ecco for the good reference.
In Bob Higgins' paper it is said that nickel powder was mixed with Fe2O3 nanopowder.
After reducing the material at high temperature with hydrogen the composition of the material
is probably nickel with iron on surface if water vapor (reaction by-product) has been removed from the reduction space,
because nickel oxides and iron oxides are not stable in the presense of hot hydrogen gas.

On the other hand, after reducing a styrene catalyst the composition of the catalyst is iron(Fe), potassium oxide
(in the form of K2O and possibly some potassium ferrite K2Fe22O34),
and structural promoters stable in hydrogen atmosphere such as aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and chromium oxide (Cr2O3).

The difference in catalytic activity between pure iron and iron with structural promoters would be interesting.

That raises some thoughts about
local broken structural symmetry and high catalytic activity.

Crystal classes and mineralogy
http://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/eens211/32crystalclass.htm

Iron has cubic crystal structure.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allotropes_of_iron

Nickel has cubic crystal structure.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel

Al2O3 and Cr2O3 have hexagonal crystal stucture which is their thermodynamically stable form.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_oxide
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium(III)_oxide

There is a structural discontinuity between iron and Al2O3, Cr2O3 crystallites because they have different crystal structures.
These grain boundaries (crystallite boundaries) have lost
structural symmetry and they are more or less amorphous without any specific crystal structure.

Atoms at grain boundaries tend to be loosely bound and are more reactive.
Atoms at grain boundaries have increased diffusion along grain boundaries.

Because of similar crystal structure and absence of structural promoters,
having pure iron on pure nickel may during heating lead to the formation of iron-nickel alloys
that have large crystallites with relatively small amount of grain boundaries.

If pure Fe2O3 powder is reduced with hydrogen gas, any stabilizing second phase particles
will probably not be present in the resulting pure iron metal powder and grain growth
will not be inhibited at high temperatures.
Surface area of iron powder will decrease because of increasing grain (crystallite) size.
Interfaces with defects will be lost because the number of separate crystallites will decrease during heating.
Larger crystallites consume smaller crystallites.
Pure iron particles easily sinter together at high temperatures and surface area decreases.

Grain growth can be inhibited by certain second phase particles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grain_boundary

After reducing ammonia or styrene catalyst so that iron oxides have been converted into iron metal,
we have the first phase (iron) and the second phase (such as Al2O3, Cr2O3) which prevents the growth of large iron crystals.
Small iron crystallites survive in this stabilized material and the catalyst stays active at high temperatures for a long time.
All these materials have high melting points.
Iron melts at about 1538 degrees C.
Al2O3 melts at about 2072 degrees C.
Cr2O3 melts at about 2435 degrees C.

In literature, dealing with another hydrogenation catalyst Ni/Al2O3, it is said that
"the more difficult the reduction of nickel oxide to metallic nickel, the lower the catalytic activity"
Reference
Effect of Alumina Particle Size on Ni/Al2O3 Catalysts for p-Nitrophenol Hydrogenation
http://www.sciencedirect.com/s…cle/pii/S1004954108600191

Catalysts have a lot of structure defects (grain boundaries).
On the other hand, in metallurgy it is known that structure defects may collect hydrogen.
Reference
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/jpa-00222298/document
"Hydrogen has a strong tendency to segregate in structure defects, among them, in grain boundaries."

An efficient hydrogen catalyst seems to benefit from
- high surface area between a solid catalyst material and hydrogen gas (catalyst consisting of small metal crystallites in the form of nanoparticles or very rough surfaces)
- large number of grain boundaries that have been stabilized with structural promoters
- removal of surface oxides of metals by reduction

The role of alkali metals in catalysts and means of agitating catalysts with forms of energy are interesting subjects.
Perhaps another post later dealing with those topics.