ICCF7　Report (1) ｂｙ H. Kozima Elemental Energy (Cold Fusion) 28, 35 (1998).

7^th International Conference on Cold Fusion (1998)

Synopsis

Two remarkable reports presented at ICCF7 showing the decisive role of the background neutron on the cold fusion phenomenon are introduced with comments on the TNCF model. Physical basis of data analysis is discussed.

1. Introduction}

Proceedings of ICCF7 has arrived in August. There are many reports showing further reality of the cold fusion phenomenon from the excess heat generation to nuclear transmutation (explained by a decay or a fission) by those excellent experimentalists who had given good data for several years in unfavorable wind. We have given consistent analyses of their data which were compiled as a book ¹⁾ published this September and as papers.^2‐4) Many valuable reports were on lines of their works and will not taken up in this report. We take up two of them for their interesting results not notice before.

Before discussion of these interesting experimental results, it is advisable to mention a few words about theoretical situation in the cold fusion research. It may be a common sense of trained physicists to deduce a conclusion of ineffectiveness of phonon and electron in solids at room temperature to participate in a possible nuclear reaction occurring there because of following facts about them that 1) average energy of these particles (or more exactly quasi-particles) are about 0.03 eV and lattice constants are about 3 Å,

2) nuclear energy is 〜 5 MeV per nucleon and the action range of the nuclear force between nucleons is 〜 10^-5 Å and 3) the necessary energy corresponds to 〜 1 GeV to confine an electron in a small region with a linear dimension 10^-5 Å to screen Coulomb repulsion between charged particles. There have been several trials to break through this common sense with artifice armored with mathematical sophistication in vain. Any theory proposed for events in the cold fusion phenomenon should give some results checked by ordinary physics outside of the cold fusion.

There is, however, a pitfall in the above common sense confining the actors to solids and hydrogen isotopes. The background neutron should be considered as an actor playing a role in the field called the cold fusion phenomenon as noticed in our TNCF model. The remarkable reports in ICCF7 introduced in this paper are related with this background neutron.

2. Experimental Data

As mentioned above in Introduction, there are many reliable results in Proc. ICCF7 by experimentalists who had been giving valuable data in the cold fusion phenomenon substantiated it. In this report, we confine our discussion to those interesting papers not discussed by us before. The first is by L. Forsely et al.⁵⁾ reporting a null result without background neutron and the second is by R.A. Monti⁶⁾ reporting 'seasonal effect' of nuclear transmutation.

2.1 Data by L. Forsely et al.⁵⁾ ‐ A Null Result without Background Neutron

Using careful experimental arrangement, L. Forsely et al. from several institutions in USA tried to check the electro-catalytic reduction of radioactivity in U and Th in a low background cave with null results.

In the abstract of their paper, they write as follows (with a little changes by H.K.):

"A proprietary electrolytic system of JWK International Co. for the reduction of radioactivity in U and Th was evaluated from June through December 1996. An exhaustive analysis of reaction materials taken before, during and after the experiments was carried out. These tests involved trace metals analysis via NAA (neutron activation analysis), EDAX (energy dispersive atomic X-ray) and ICP/MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy). Additional tests involved HRMS (high resolution mass spectroscopy) of evolved gases and reaction products, allowing isotopic differentiation and HRGS (high resolution gamma spectroscopy). Neutrons were searched for via ²³⁵U fission fragments and n−ganma reactions.

The results of over 10 series of runs were ambiguous. However, the definitive test, operating a system in a low background cave with high resolution gamma spectroscopy, failed to show any radioactive reduction of the system as a whole.} (The italicization by H.K.) Regardless of these results, the testing protocols developed define the standard and rigor by which any proposal catalytically reduced radioactive system must be subjected. It is crucially significant results be obtained, including the statistical uniformity of the matrix composition, as otherwise comparisons will be impossible and the conclusions drawn will be erroneous."

This precise check of the reported reduction of radioactivity in the process of electrolytic treatment with a null result shows again the decisive effect of the background neutron on the cold fusion phenomenon, reduction of radioactivity in this case, as shown by many including S.E. Jones et al.{7} for nuclear products. From our point of view, exclusion of the background neutron to improve \Es/\Enu ratio becomes decisive fault in the experiment eliminating one of necessary components for realization of the cold fusion phenomenon.

There is another work by F. Celani et al.⁸⁾ tried to confirm reduction of radioactivity of Th in an electrolytic system of CINCY group. Their results were still not conclusive although they found deficit of Th after the process and new elements produced.

2.2 Data by R.A. Monti⁶⁾ ‐ 'Seasonal Effect' of Nuclear Transmutation

Next remarkable report at ICCF7 is related with existence of the background neutron, from our point of view. Let us introduce at first the content of the paper by R.A. Monti.

In the paper,⁶⁾ the author presented in its limited space only results of his experiments done from 1992 to 1998 showing nuclear transmutation of stable and also unstable isotopes by means of ordinary chemical reactions. Lack of description about details of his experiments made, unfortunately, impossible to analyze the data on the TNCF model as done in our previous papers for other excellent experimental data as compiled in our works.^1‐4）

His abstract of the paper is read as follows:

"The possibility to cause nuclear transmutation of stable isotopes by means of ordinary chemical reactions suggested the possibility to cause nuclear transmutation of unstable isotopes.

A first series of experimental tests was made from 1993 to 1995 with positive results.

In 1996 an industrial reactor was built in Canada and sent to Italy for a new series of independent tests at ENEA (Italian National Laboratories).

In these tests the production of Ag from Pb was used as a driver of the nuclear transmutation (NT) of Th and U.

A new series of tests has been performed at the ENEA Laboratories, starting October 1997."

Table 1, Change of Pb. Ag and Th or U in experiments

Date Element Initial(g) Final(g) Diff. (g) Diff. (%)

May 1997 Pb 314.36 264.74 −50 −16

Ag 89.61 180.20 +91 +102

Th 2.26 0.27 −2 −88

June 1997 Pb 314.83 203.95 −111 −35.3

Ag 89.84 174.88 +85 +94

U 4.20 2.96 −1.2 −30

January 1998 Pb 291.86 227.06 −64.8 −22.2

Ag 160.81 169.97 +9.6 +5.7

U 5.34 5.08 −0.26 −5

March 1998 Pb 292.92 269.65 −23 −7.9

Ag 163.02 163.23

U 4.72 3.95 −0.77 −16

April 1998 Pb 290.32 261.12 −29 −10

Ag 158.01 158.39

U 4.72 3.26 −1.46 −30

He also tells about his papers presented at from ICCF3 in 1992 to ICCF5 in 1995 (but not printed) where he had given a result on variation of the half lives of radioactive elements in cold fusion experiments (which has been noticed also by us in relation with NT^1,4) and named 'decay time shortening'):

"Low Energy Transmutation" (ICCF3)

"Experiments in Cold Fusion and Cold Fission" (ICCF4)

"Variation of the Half Lives of Radioactive Elements and Associated Cold Fusion and Cold Fission Reactions" (ICCF5)

From this explanation of his experiments, it is clear that R.A. Monti is one of pioneers who found 'induced fission reactions' of composite nucleus and 'decay time shortening' of radioactive elements in cold fusion materials noticed recently.^4,9,10)

His experiments have shown clearly decrease of Pb and increase of Ag with decrease of Th or U. The observed change of those elements depended on the time when the experiments were performed as shown in Table 1.

Monti has given an interpretation of this time-dependence as follows:

"The 'seasonal effect' which I had already previously observed showed itself again. Even if I know it, I had never written about it before. It was already difficult for the scientific community to get acquainted with the idea of Low Energy Transmutations. Imagine how easily a 'seasonal effect' in nuclear reactions could be accepted."

His results on the variation of radioactivity (decay time shortening) and cold fission (induced nuclear fission) was too early to be printed in Proceedings of ICCF4 and 5. In addition to this, his reference to constellation in regards to the 'seasonal effect' seems too outrageous to be a scientific logic. From our point of view, however, density of the background neutron can surely be dependent on season which influences the cold fusion phenomenon and therefore NT. It should be better to tell about constellation as an object of scientific investigation than as an origin of seasonal effect of NT because we know too little about Nature including human beings to interpret the whole phenomenon in Universe by the present knowledge of science.

3. Discussion

The two remarkable papers presented at ICCF7 showing decisive role of the background neutron in the cold fusion phenomenon was introduced above in this paper. These papers by L. Forsely et al. ⁵⁾ and by R.A. Monti ⁶⁾ seem contradicting each other at first sight. It is, however, not contradicting when we notice the difference of these experiments, absence and existence of the background neutrons.

The precision measurements of the possible nuclear products by L. Forsely et al.⁵⁾ with a null result have shown again necessity of existence of background neutrons for realization of the cold fusion phenomenon. To improve S/N ratio in neutron measurements, it has been endeavored to reduce density of background neutrons in many institutions with null results. This is in clear contrast with big amount of transmuted nuclei observed in many experiments including by R.A. Monti, ⁶⁾ G. Miley et al.,¹¹⁾ G.S. Qiao et al.,¹²⁾ T. Mizuno et al.,¹³⁾ T. Ohmori et al.,¹⁴⁾ D.S. Silver et al.¹⁵⁾

On the other hand, the data by R.A. Monti⁶⁾ have shown an interesting feature of NT, the 'seasonal effect', change of the cold fusion phenomenon by time in addition to a big amount of transmuted nuclei in accordance with data obtained by others, a part of which are listed in the preceding paragraph. It is well known that density of background neutrons is time-dependent and varies by the intensity of the cosmic ray which changes daily and by season. The 'seasonal effect' found by Monti may be proving decisive effect of background neutrons on an event of the cold fusion phenomenon, NT in this case.

About confusing theoretical explanation of the cold fusion phenomenon at present, we would like to point out some truth to be noticed in investigation. It is necessary to make clear where a theory or model departs from ordinary concepts of physics. Some principles in present physics is sometimes ignored without explicit recognition not saying the well known discrimination of classical and quantum physics. Two principles should be pointed out.

One is the uncertainty principle. Before discovery of neutron in 1932, a nucleus was supposed to be composed of protons and electrons. The electron, however, is a light particle and it is necessary to use energy of order 〜 1 GeV to confine it in a nucleus with a diameter 〜 10^-13 cm. This energy is inversely proportional to the square of diameter of the region where the electron is confined. This fact had been a difficulty in nuclear physics resolved by the discovery of neutron as a component of nucleus. This common sense has been ignored in some discussions in cold fusion science.

Another is the particle-wave duality of microscopic objects. There are arbitrary uses of this concept at users free will in discussion of the cold fusion phenomenon. The particle view or the wave view appears according to the situation where an object (electron, proton, neutron and others) is and not according to the observer's will. An assumption made to explain a phenomenon should be clearly recognized and be verified by existing physical principles.

In this context, it should be emphasized that single particle nature of electrons in metals is a result of an approximation based on and verified by Bohm-Pines theory of many-body problem with the Coulomb force and is not freely applied to a proton occluded in transition metals which is known to behave like a classical particle in diffusion.

From the author's viewpoint, the cold fusion phenomenon includes various events as revealed in its history of about ten years and the events are probes of physics in complex and inhomogeneous solid systems composed of transition metals, hydrogen isotopes, alkali metals and neutrons. We are now in a position to synthesize various data to establish a science of the cold fusion phenomenon and to apply it for welfare of mankind.

References

Following abbreviations are used in the following lists of papers:

\iccftran[x]; Trans. Fusion Technol. (Proc. ICCF4) 26, x (1994).

\iccftoya[x]; Progress in New Hydrogen Energy (Proc. ICCF6), page x (1996).

\iccfvanc[x]; The Best Ever! (Proc. ICCF7) (1998, Vancouver, Canada), page x (1998).

(1) H. Kozima, Discovery of the Cold Fusion Phenomenon ‐ Evolution of the Solid State - Nuclear Physics and the Energy Crisis in the 21st Century, Ohtake Shuppan KK., Tokyo, Japan (September 1998).

(2) H. Kozima, K. Kaki and M. Ohta, "Anomalous Phenomenon in Solids Described by the TNCF Model", Fusion Technology 33, 52 (1998).

(3) H. Kozima, "How the Cold Fusion Occurs (2)", Rep. Fac. Science, Shizuoka Univ. 32, 1 (1998).

4) H. Kozima, "Nuclear Reactions in Solids (The Cold Fusion Phenomenon)", Elemental Energy (Cold Fusion) 28 (1998) (to be published).

(5) L. Forsely, R. August, J. Jorne, J. Khim, F. Mis and G. Phillips, "Analyzing Nuclear Ash from the Electro-catalytic Reduction of Radioactivity in Uranium and Thorium", \iccfvanc{128}

(6) R.A. Monti, "Nuclear Transmutation Processes of Lead, Silver, Thorium and Uranium", \iccfvanc{264}

(7) S.E. Jones, D.E. Jones, D.S. Shelton and S.F. Taylor, "Search for Neutron, Gamma and X-Ray Emission from Pd/LiOD Electrolytic Cells: A Null Results", \iccftran{143}

(8) F. Celani, M. Achilli, A. Battaglia, C. Cattaneo, P.G. Sona, A. Mancini, "Preliminary Results with "Cincinnati Group Cell" on Thorium "Transmutation" under 50 Hz AC Excitation," \iccfvanc{56}

(9) H. Kozima, H. Kudoh. K. Yoshimoto and K. Kaki, "Nuclear Transmutation in Pd Cathode observed by Miley et al. analyzed on TNCF Model", Elemental Energy (Cold Fusion) 27, 18 (1998).

(10) H. Kozima, K. Yoshimoto, H. Kudoh and K. Kaki, "Nuclear Transmutation in Ni Cathode observed by Miley et al. analyzed on TNCF Model", Elemental Energy (Cold Fusion) 27, 42 (1998).

(11) G.H. Miley, G. Narne, M.J. Williams, J.A. Patterson, J. Nix, D. Cravens and H. Hora, "Quantitative Observation of Transmutation Products Occurring in Thin-Film Coated Microspheres during Electrolysis", \iccftoya{629} And also Cold Fusion 20, 71 (1996).

(12) G.S. Qiao, X.M. Han, L.C. Kong and X.Z. Li, "Nuclear Transmutation in a Gas Loading H/Pd System" J. New Energy 2-2, 48 (1997).

(13) T. Mizuno, T. Ohmori and T. Akimoto, "Detection of Radiation Emission, Heat Generation and Elements from a Pt Electrode Induced by Electrolytic Discharge in Alkaline Solutions", \iccfvanc{253}

(14) T. Ohmori, T. Mizuno, Y. Nodasaka and M. Enyo, "Transmutation in a Gold-Light Water Electrolysis System", Fusion Technol. 33, 367 (1998).

(15) D.S. Silver and J. Dash, "Surface Studies of Palladium after Interaction with Hydrogen Isotopes", \iccfvanc{351}

ICCF7　Report (2) Elemental Energy (Cold Fusion) 29(submitted).

Remarkable Reports at ICCF7 (2) −⁴He Data by L.C. Case

Synopsis

A remarkable report presented at ICCF7 showing helium-4 generation in platinum-group metal/deuterium systems is introduced with comments on the TNCF model. Peculiarities of the CF phenomenon which have been revealed in several events, 'induced nuclear fission', 'decay time shortening', 'nuclear reactions without gamma ray', 'helium-4 generation in deuterium system without gamma', and so on, are discussed from a unified point of view using trapped neutrons as a catalyst.

1. Introduction

There have been observed in the cold fusion (CF) phenomenon very many events from the excess heat generation unexplainable by chemical reactions to nuclear transmutation only understandable by fission reactions of nuclei in systems including hydrogen isotopes. Many products of these events including the excess heat have been explained by the TNCF model ^1,2) using a single adjustable parameter n_n with values of 10⁸ 〜 10¹² cm^‐3.

In these several years, there have been reported many experimental results showing peculiarities of nuclear reaction which are out of our knowledge in reactions occurring in vacuum. A riddle noticed from the early stage of CF research is lack of gamma ray commensurating to other products which was discussed by us in a preceding paper ³⁾ suggesting a possible participation of trapped neutrons in a nuclear reaction. The 'decay time shortening' and 'induced fission reaction' have been proposed^1,4,5) to interpret experimental data sets of nuclear transmutations observed enthusiastically recent years. One of experimental works noticed these events was presented at ICCF7 ⁶⁾

In this paper, we introduce another interesting data⁷⁾ showing helium-4 production in a simple gas-contact system composed of platinum-group metal/deuterium systems without gamma ray emission similar to data by Arata et al. in a complicated electrolytic system.

2. Experimental Data by L.C. Case ^7）

L.C. Case of Fusion Power Inc. (FPI) reported an interesting experimental result of ⁴He production from D₂ gas in contact with a catalyst, called PGM (platinum-group metal) on activated carbon catalyst.

The experiment was performed as follows:

2.1) The catalyst are 'the standard heterogeneous metallic catalysts', 0.5 〜 1.0% by weight PGM (Pd, Pt, Ir. Rh) on activated carbon.

2.2) Gaseous D₂ (fuel gas) is contacted with the supported metallic catalyst (about 50 to 100 g) at super-atmospheric pressure and about 130 〜 300 \degC\ with activity peaking at 250 \degC in a reaction vessel (1.6 liter WW II 304 SS oxygen bottle).

2.3) The fuel gas from long-term runs has been analyzed by a large, magnetic-sector, mass spectrograph to contain very roughly 100 ppm of ⁴He, which was not present in the research-grade D₂ fuel. In this process, neutron n, ³He, t (³H) (or, presumably hydrogen ¹H) have not been produced.

2.4) The effect of D₂ gas pressure on reaction rate is small.

2.5) An international patent application, Serial No. WO 97143768, was published November 20, 1997.

The explanation of the experimental condition and procedure are not necessarily clear enough to analyze the experimental data on our model, perhaps due to the patent barrier related with the above paragraph 2.5), the result is remarkable. (It is desirable to describe size, form and composition of the activated carbon used, the amount of generated heat, duration of experiments, amount of ⁴He produced, presence of other isotope change, etc.)

Taking the result as real, we discuss a possible cause of ⁴He generation in D₂ gas-metal system on the TNCF model.

3. Anomalous Nuclear Reactions in Solids

In these several years, there have been observed anomalous results of nuclear properties in solids used in the cold fusion (CF) research. Not saying the common events of Cf including the excess heat (Q) generation, tritium t and ⁴He generation commensurate with Q, the anomalous events are 'decay time shortening' of radioactive nuclei, 'induced fission' of heavy nuclei, 'lack of gamma ray' in cold fusion commensurate with other events, and 'excess ⁴He without other events.

Before discussion of the theme of this paper, 'excess ⁴He without other events, we discuss briefly the other three anomalies.

3.1 Decay time shortening

It is noticed that decay times of nuclei formed by reactions with the trapped neutron have to be assumed several orders of magnitude shorter than those determined for free states to explain experimental data sets obtained in the cold fusion experiments. This fact is called the decay time shortening by the trapped neutron. Also, remarked is a fact that stability of nucleus interacting with the tapped neutron becomes drastically low compared with that in free state determined in nuclear physics.

Fundamental reactions used in the analysis of the nuclear transmutation by a decay (NT_D) are those between the trapped neutron and nuclei in the material followed by a beta or an alpha decay:

n + ^{39}_{19}K = ^{40}_{19}K = ^{40}_{20}Ca + e^{-} + nu_{e},

n + ^{106}_{46}Pd = ^{107}_{46}Pd = ^{107}_47}Ag + e^{-} + nu_{e},

n + ^{196}_{78}Pt = ^{197}_{78}Pt = ^{197}_{79}Au+ e^{-} + nu_{e},

n + ^{16}_{8}O = ^{17}_{8}O = ^{13}_{6}C + ^{4}_{2}He.

If we can assume that the decay time of ^{40}_{19}K of 1.2 × 10⁹ y is largely shorten by the neutron capture reaction to a value of the order of few hundred hours (let us take as 10² h), the experimental data by Bush showing generations of ＾{24}_{12}Mg and ^{40}_{20}Ca were explained by the TNCF model with appropriate values of the parameter n_n.

The same consideration is applicable to the data set by Savvatimova et al.

The decay time of ^{107}_{46}Pd into ^{107}_{47}Ag by β-decay is 〜 10⁶ y in normal states. It is necessary to assume the decay time shortening occurs in the surface layer to explain the data obtained in this experiment.

Assuming continuous production of ^{107}_{47}Ag by n−^{106}_{46}Pd fusion reaction through 3 months at the surface layer of the cathode by the decay time shortening of ^{107}_{46}Pd, we could explain the data by Savvatimova et al. with an appropriate value of the density of the trapped thermal neutron n_n.

3.2 Induced nuclear fission

In addition to the nuclear transmutation by a decay treated in the preceding subsection, there are many data sets of nuclear transmutation by a fission (NT_F) in recent reports. In the analysis, it became clear that some nuclei interacting with the trapped neutron are rather unstable for fission than when they are interacting with a single energetic neutron. This fact will be called the induced nuclear fission by the trapped neutron, hereafter.

Some examples of these experimental data are as follows:

Data by Mizuno et al. are explained by following reactions (alpha decays):

n +^{A}_{24}Cr = ^{A-3}_{22}Ti + ^{4}_{2}He ± Q,

n + ^{A}_{46}Pd = ^{A-3}_{44}Ru + ^{4}_{2}He ± Q'.

Data by Ohmori et al. are explained by following reactions (fission):

n + ^{197}_{79}Au → ^{57}_{26}Fe + ^{141}_{53}I + Q.

Data by Miley et al. are explained by following fission reactions:

n + ^{A}_{46}Pd = ^{A+1}_{46}Pd*,

^{A+1}_{46}Pd* = _{13}^{A'}Al + _{33}^{A''}As,

= _{29}^{A'}Cu + _{17}^{A''}Cl,

= _{23}^{A'}V + _{23}^{A''}V,

= _{28}^{A'}Ni + _{18}^{A''}Ar,

= _{26}^{A'}Fe + _{20}^{A''}Ca,

= _{27}^{A'}Co + _{19}^{A''}K,

= _{24}^{A'}Cr} + _{22}^{A''}Ti,

= _{30}^{A'}Zn + _{16}^{A''}S,

= _{47}^{A+1}Ag + e^{-} + nu_{e}.

3.3 Lack of gamma ray

As was explained in the previous paper,⁸⁾ there is a mechanism to diminish gamma ray emitted in CF reactions by extinguishing it by photo-disintegration of a deuteron. This mechanism might be an important source of neutron to maintain CF reactions.

It is possible, however, to consider a nuclear reaction where participate many neutron Bloch waves and a nucleus. To solve the riddle of lack of gamma photon, J. Schwinger once proposed a possible reaction including a phonon (a quasi-particle of lattice vibration) expressed by a following relation:

d + d = ^{4}He + phonon.

As is evident from a physical investigation, energy 〜 10^-2 eV and wave length 〜 1 Å of a phonon can not give an enough effect to induce d-d fusion reaction which needs an energy 〜 10³ eV and distance between deuterons 〜 10^-5 Å. Similar efforts to explain CF phenomenon by the d-d fusion reaction induced by a phonon effect seem unfruitful from our point of view.

On the other hand, it is possible to consider the nuclear energy liberated in a reaction of a nucleus is distributed among particles interacting with the nucleus. As was shown in the preceding paper,³⁾ neutrons in a band are interacting with lattice nuclei coherently. Once a strong perturbation from a localized center (a nucleus) acts on neutrons, they reacts the perturbation and fusion of a neutron and the nucleus occurs where the liberated energy of an order of magnitude 〜 5 MeV may be shared by remaining neutrons with a number of 10⁸ 〜 10¹² cm^-3, i.e. 5 × 10^-2 〜 10^-4 eV/n cm^-3.

For a sample with a volume of 1 〜 10^-2 cm³, the energy shared by a neutron is the same order of magnitude as its thermal energy and is easily converted into heat of the matrix solid. If this mechanism works well in the cold fusion materials, the products of the cold fusion phenomenon are explained consistently by the TNCF model on the conventional physics without breaking its fundamental principles confirmed many branches of physics in these 70 years.

3.4 Excess ⁴He without other events

As explained in previous subsections, there are many experimental data sets showing occurrence of nuclear reactions (alpha decay, fission, etc) in solids which are inconceivable to occur with particle energies of less than 1 eV. In relation with the ⁴He production from PGM on activated carbon system⁷⁾ and Pd wire⁹⁾, we take up following reactions:

n + ^{106}_{46}Pd = ^{107}_{46}Pd,

^{107}_{46}Pd = ^{103}_{44}Ru+ {4}_{2}He=^{103}_{45}Rh +e^{-}+ nu_{e} + ^{4}_{2}He + Q,

n + ^{198}_{78}Pt = ^{199}_{78}Pt,

^{198}_{78}Pt = ^{195}_{76}Os + ^{4}_{2}He.

The absorption cross sections of the reaction (19) and (21) are 0.303 and 4.0 b, respectively. The branching ratios of alpha decays (20) and (22) are not known. In the first reaction, Q is calculated to be 0.65 MeV while in the second we have no data to investigate final products from ^{195}_{76}Os.

In view of our recent knowledge of the induced nuclear fission and the decay time shortening, characteristic effects of trapped thermal neutrons on lattice nuclei, obtained in the CF research, it is probable that the branching ratios of the above alpha decays of ^{107}_{46}Pd and ^{199}_{78}Pt increase in the samples used by L.C. Case.

Thus, if these reactions described above occurs effectively, the production of helium-4 in the cold fusion systems is explained by a characteristic of the interaction between trapped neutrons in the form of neutron Bloch wave and lattice nuclei, the former is a natural result of the wave nature of thermal neutron, not relying on mechanisms outside of quantum mechanics, well established in 70 years history of material and nuclear physics. The reality of the existence of the trapped neutron has been shown by our analysis of more than 50 sets of experimental data published as a book¹⁾ and papers.^2,10,11)

The structure of 'PGM on activated carbon' reported by L.C. Case seems an appropriate one for thermal neutron trapping by band structure mechanism ¹⁾ and deserves a candidate for CF materials in addition to PPC well established its position in CF research.

4. Conclusion

As explained in this paper consistently with other data obtained hitherto in CF research, the data by L.C. Case of helium-4 production from platinum-group metal on active carbon system are reasonable one from our point of view. It is desirable to measure other events including the excess heat generation and NT together with helium production. From our knowledge of effective CF materials such as PPC, Arata's complex structure with Pd black, and this PGM on activated carbon catalyst, the large S/N ratio (surface-to-volume ratio) seems a key factor for good qualitative reproducibility as notice by us before¹⁾ To improve the qualitative reproducibility further, it may be necessary to make the sample size uniform keeping its heterogeneity constant. Another important factor may be combination of component as noticed in the paper⁷⁾ by L.C. Case and also in PPC experiments.^4,5)

The author would like to express his thanks to member of his laboratory for their cooperation throughout development of the TNCF model and calculation in this work.

References

Following abbreviations are used in the following lists of papers:

\iccftran[x]; Trans. Fusion Technol. (Proc. ICCF4) 26, x (1994).

\iccftoya[x]; Progress in New Hydrogen Energy (Proc. ICCF6), page x (1996).

\iccfvanc[x]; The Best Ever! (Proc. ICCF7) (1998, Vancouver, Canada), page x (1998).

(1) H. Kozima, Discovery of the Cold Fusion Phenomenon ‐ Evolution of the Solid State - Nuclear Physics and the Energy Crisis in the 21st Century, Ohtake Shuppan KK., Tokyo, Japan (September 1998).

(2) H. Kozima, K. Kaki and M. Ohta, "Anomalous Phenomenon in Solids Described by the TNCF Model", Fusion Technology 33, 52 (1998).

(3) H. Kozima, "On the Absence of Gamma Ray in CF Phenomenon", Elemental Energy (Cold Fusion) 28 (1998) (to be published).

(4) H. Kozima, H. Kudoh. K. Yoshimoto and K. Kaki, "Nuclear Transmutation in Pd Cathode observed by Miley et al. analyzed on TNCF Model", Elemental Energy (Cold Fusion) 27, 18 (1998).

(5) H. Kozima, K. Yoshimoto, H. Kudoh and K. Kaki, "Nuclear Transmutation in Ni Cathode observed by Miley et al. analyzed on TNCF Model", Elemental Energy (Cold Fusion) 27, 42 (1998).

(6) R.A. Monti, "Nuclear Transmutation Processes of Lead, Silver, Thorium and Uranium", \iccfvanc{264}

(7) L.C. Case, "Catalytic Fusion of Deuterium into Helium-4", \iccfvanc{48}

(8) H. Kozima, "On the Absence of Photon with 6.25 MeV and Neutron with 14.1 MeV in CF Experiments", Cold Fusion 15, 12 (1996).

(9) E. Botta, T. Bressani, C.Fanara and F. Iazzi, "Measurement of ⁴He Production from D₂ Gas-Loaded Pd Sample" \iccftoya{29}

(10) H. Kozima, "Cold Fusion Phenomenon and the Prospects of Solid State-Nuclear Physics", Cold Fusion 25, 4 (1998).

(11) H. Kozima, "The TNCF Model for the Cold Fusion Phenomenon", \iccfvanc{192} And also Cold Fusion 26, 4 (1998).