A private communication from Ed Storms, reproduced here with his permission. Worth mentioning that Ed is sure that he has made some fundamentally important discoveries recently- but don't forget that they are the fruit of a long lifetime of work and study. His experiments have focused on the materials science behind LENR, and he has used this approach to reliably make more easily triggered and durable fuels. He is preparing a paper and all being well will reveal more information in that about means and methods. Meanwhile, these are some of his reflections on the field as it stands and some clues as to the progress of his work. Well worth your time to read and reflect on.
Ed wrote: -
Over the years, I have come to realize that LENR can not be treated as if it were a science. Science requires rules that are agreed to apply to the observed behavior. In this field, everyone applies their own rules. I too have my own rules.
Also, the behavior has not been investigated using the systematic approach normally applied in conventional science. Instead, the behaviors are observed as isolated events with no obvious relationship to each other. When a clear relationship is found, such as the relationship between energy and He production, this information does not result in universal understanding. Consequently, the relationship between the various behaviors remains obscure.
Instead of using the scientific approach, I prefer to use the method of Sherlock Holmes, by which the observed behaviors, when viewed in their totality, provide a collection of clues. The goal is to determine the common mechanism that would be able to create all of these behaviors. As Holmes would say, identify the one person who was able to commit the crime.
Two entirely different kinds of clues are required. One kind involves the chemical and physical conditions, because LENR requires the presence of a unique structure in the material. I call this condition the NAE( Nuclear active environment), which is observed to be located at random sites throughout the material. The other kind of understanding requires clues about the nuclear process because LENR involves a collection of unusual nuclear reactions. In addition, the nuclear process will not occur unless the unique chemical-physical condition is present (the NAE). As result, this unique condition must be understood before the nuclear process would make sense. In other words, the smoking gun has no meaning until its path to the murder scene is understood. Put another way, the bullets (nuclear process) are useless without the gun (the chemical conditions.)
Sorry for this a long winded approach to the LENR mystery.
A large variety of materials having a variety of morphologies have been studied, with a few observed to produce LENR. Frequently, when a batch of material is studied, most members of the batch are found to produce LENR when one member is found to produce LENR. This clue suggests a condition is created initially when the batch is made that can produce LENR provided a subsequent treatment is applied. However, without the initial condition, the subsequent treatment would not produce LENR. Likewise, without the subsequent treatment, the initial condition would not produce LENR. Both conditions must be identified and applied. This has not been done in the past.
Using the morphology I have chosen, I can now identify the nature of the initial condition and the required subsequent treatment. When these two conditions are present, the material will make LENR without fail. When they are not present, the material is dead. Consequently, failure to produce LENR is as much of an important clue as is success. The cause of failure must be shown to be the mirror image of success for understanding to be complete. Unfortunately, that kind of information is missing in this field.
OK, this is more than enough to read. I will pause here to see if anyone is interested in solving the mystery using this approach.
Ed
