Michio
Enyo
Michio Enyo (Hokkaido University)
One of our research topics for several years before 1989 was the Pd hydrogen electrode system. This was concerned on the study of detailed mechanism of the hydrogen electrode reaction, particularly to establish the partition of hydrogen overpotential between the process of proton (water) discharge that forms hydrogen adatoms and the process of recombination of the hydrogen adatoms that forms hydrogen molecules. Therefore, at the time of announcement of the cold fusion (CF) phenomena in the March of 1989 by Fleischmann et al., we were in a position very close to the system concerned and thus very easy to grasp the topic.
At the time of the announcement, and perhaps the time throughout until now, it is believed that the key factor of the CF would be to realize the gigantic high hypothetical hydrogen (deuterium) pressure that reflects the concentration of hydrogen (deuterium) dissolved in Pd. In this respect, we thought that we could make some contributions to the field, such as to evaluate the pressure and the means to increase the pressure under a given condition. We made some comments such as that the pressure would be very high but not as high as the level Prof. Fleischmann thought; it was determined not by the hydrogen overpotential itself but by the part that is partitioned on the hydrogen recombination process.
The Fleischmann-Pons* effect has not been perfectly reproduced during some ten years after the first announcement, but the field itself has been widened particularly for the discovery of similar phenomena even in light water system or finding the fact that indicates the involvement of atomic transmutation processes. We believe that we could make sizable important contributions in the latter topics.
Although the field of CF appears to be confirmed to a reasonable level, attitudes of the people towards the CF seems to be more and more clearly split into two categories; people in one group seems to became more and more confident to support the phenomena but the others became more solid in denying it. The situation is rather unfortunate as it prevents discussions to be held in a normal scientific manner and hence prevents development of the field in a sound sense. Science certainly grows on the basis of sound and free scientific discussions, either positive or negative, but not based on any superficial ideas.
It is said in the history of science, that the people once, and then probably many times, thought that the level of development of the science at that time was such that its essential part was mostly cleared, except for minor points. However, they were then to see that entirely new concepts and new paradigms were disclosed soon. This tells us that we should never be sure if everything is already made clear now. It is hence important for us to be modest toward the nature and to have open-minded attitudes to the development of science.
Incidentally, it is rather difficult to understand that some people even on the side supporting the CF does not seem to believe that the distance from the CF of the d-d fusion type to any transmutation processes such as the one involving light hydrogen is far smaller than the distance from the CF phenomena to the ordinary hot fusion process. In other words, if one dares to believe that the d-d type CF or the like should exist after all, he then should admit that the transmutation processes would be in a reasonable distance from the latter. Here again, people should take more open-minded attitudes. We should always anticipate wider possibilities of the science than that we know at the present time. (February 24, 2000)