APS Meeting April 16, 2016, in Utah: Rydberg phases of Hydrogen and LENR

Authors: Sveinn Olafsson
(Faculty of Physical Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland)

Leif Holmlid
(Atmospheric Science, Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, SE-412 96 Goteborg, Sweden)

For over the last 26 years the science of cold fusion/LENR has been researched around the world with slow pace of progress. Modest quantity of excess heat and signatures of nuclear transmutation and helium production have been confirmed in experiments and theoretical work has only resulted in a large flora of inadequate theoretical scenarios. Here we review current state of research in Rydberg matter of Hydrogen that is showing strong signature of nuclear processes. In the presentation experimental behavior of Rydberg matter of hydrogen is described. An extensive collaboration effort of surface physics, catalysis, atomic physics, solid state physics, nuclear physics and quantum information is need to tackle the surprising experimental results that have so far been obtained. Rydberg matter of Hydrogen is the only known state of matter that is able to bring huge collection of protons to so short distances and for so long time that tunneling becomes a reasonable process for making [lexicon]low energy nuclear reactions[/lexicon]. Nuclear quantum entanglement can also become realistic process at theses conditions.

It does sound like it will be a short presentation, but other abstracts in the same session (and others) don't seem fringe:
http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/APR16/Session/E11

Given the amount of speakers from this and other sessions from the same meeting I agree however that it likely won't have much impact on its own.
It appears it's the only one related with LENR.

Barty: I think you are underestimating the role the APS has played in the 'scientific infanticide' of LENR. In particular, Bob Park was a director of public information at the APS who made it his personal mission and badge of honor to debunk 'voodoo science' topics like cold fusion and the Strategic Defense Initiative. He apparently took particular glee in getting people fired for letting any mention of cold fusion stand without challenge. There is no way that he would have tolerated this type of nonsense if he were in charge today.

The mere fact of the APS letting this talk proceed, with such a bold statement of non-ridicule for cold fusion published right in the abstract, in itself is a major milestone for the history of LENR. Unto itself, it may not have great singular significance, but it is one more tangible indicator that the tide has turned.

Regarding:

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In the presentation experimental behavior of Rydberg matter of hydrogen is described. An extensive collaboration effort of surface physics, catalysis, atomic physics, solid state physics, nuclear physics and quantum information is need to tackle the surprising experimental results that have so far been obtained.

Could this be a recruiting campaign where Holmlid is asking professional scientists to risk vocational jeopardy to look more deeply into those unworldly processes that are going on in Holmlid's experiments?

Will the audience just enter into a 10 minute state of puzzlement and confusion but at the end of the perplexing presentation, these professionals drift lazily back with a shake of the head to the surety and comfort of the fantasy world that they love so much and that their lives are devoted to?

bobeson wrote:

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The mere fact of the APS letting this talk proceed, with such a bold statement of non-ridicule for cold fusion published right in the abstract, in itself is a major milestone for the history of LENR. Unto itself, it may not have great singular significance, but it is one more tangible indicator that the tide has turned.

That this is given such weight now just indicates it's become more scarce than usual.

According to http://www.physicscentral.com/…ostid=8415251676933188137, from a few years ago, "there are usually some cold fusion papers at our physics conferences, but that's because the APS allows any of its member to contribute talks, without peer review. It's all in the spirit of the open exchange of ideas in science. That's why there are also talks about zero point energy generators, perpetual motion machines, and a host of other fringe science topics, to put it gently....The thing is, the physical society doesn't endorse any of these topics..."

And an article in Infinite Energy reports an entire session on cold fusion in 2009, when Park was still active:

Quote

Important results associated with [lexicon]Low Energy Nuclear Reactions[/lexicon] (LENR) were presented at two key scientific society meetings in March. The American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting “Session B16: Cold Fusion” was held on March 16, 2009 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The “Symposium on New Energy Technology” was held from March 22-24 as part of the 237th American Chemical Society (ACS) Meeting & Exposition in Salt Lake City, Utah.

[...] However, from my personal perspective, what happened in both the APS and ACS meetings was historic. But my perspective about this probably reflects my personal bias: I have been organizing the APS sessions for more than a decade, as a result of a long-standing tradition that began when the APS’ cold fusion naysayer Robert Park suggested to me that I should take the necessary steps to raise the tenor of debate (and lack of debate) about cold fusion in an open forum at the March Meeting of the APS. This year’s session included eight contributed papers which were presented over a relatively short (90 minute) period of time (the length of each paper was required to be less than 12 minutes)....

The following papers were on the agenda: “Electrodynamic Component of Pd Electrical Conductivity,” Mitchell Swartz; “Study of the Palladium Hydrogen-Deuterium System,” Jan Marwan; “Investigation of the Cold Fusion Phenomenon in the Surface Region of Hydrogen Non-occlusive Metal Catalysts; W, Pt, and Au,” Hideo Kozima and Tadahiko Mizuno; “Sonofusion: Squeezed Deuteron Clusters, with Small Size, High Energy Density but No High Energy Particles,” Roger Stringham; “Time-Dependent Changes in Morphology and Composition of Solid Particles Collected from Heavy Water Electrolyte After Electrolysis with a Palladium Cathode,” John Dash and Q. Wang; “Study of Methods to Increase Cluster/Dislocation Loop Densities in Electrodes,” Xiaoling Yang and George Miley; “Metal Catalyzed Fusion: Nuclear Active Environment vs. Process,” Scott Chubb; “Potential Role of Energy Band Theory in Finite Solids and in Resonant Phenomena Involving Metal-Induced Fusion and the Fleischmann-Pons Effect,” Talbot Chubb; “Wave Nature of the Deuterium Flux Permeating Palladium Thin Film,” Xing Z. Li, Bin Liu and Qing Wei; “Isomorphic Properties of Atoms, Molecules, Water, DNA, Crystals, Earth, Solar System and Galaxies,” F.A. Gareev, G.F. Gareeva and I.E. Zhidkova.

The ACS held sessions on LENR for several consecutive years around then, and I think the APS had several as well. So, don't expect too much from one paper now.