A question to any resident quantum mechanics experts on this board. From what I remember from undergraduate materials science, the Schrodinger equation tells us that the position of a particle within a system can be described in terms of a probability density function. This probability declines exponentially as distance increases from the most probable position. However, it never quite declines to zero, suggesting that there is a small but real probability that two deuterium nuclei in a heavy water molecule will fuse even under standard conditions, because a tiny but real proportion of their probability density functions overlap. If true, this would suggest that nuclear fusion is taking place in ordinary water under standard conditions, but at an infinitesimal rate that is so slow that it would be difficult to detect. Even this a true description of reality?
Yes, indeed. Wave function decay is often exponentiual (not always) but it is true that reaction cross section is never zero.
The NASA people are keen on potential mechanisms enhancing cross-sections that will bridge the many OOMs gap between the cross section expected and that needed to deliver useful (or even measurable) excess heat. Some of these mechanisms are well substantiated. others still speculative. We need a number of mechanisms all acting together. And there is discussion on how branching ratios could maybe change to deliver heat without easily observable high energy products - though that is less substantiated.
And there has been much discussion here about them. But I'd recommend the published papers.
here is (not really published paper) presentation https://www1.grc.nasa.gov/wp-c…ced-Nuclear-Reactions.pdf
It is one bit of LENR (if you want to call it that) which is also a corner of mainstream science.
THH
