[extropy-chat] sonofusion tested on BBC tonight

[Damien Broderick]

At 08:39 PM 2/21/2005 -0500, Dan C. wrote:

>The problem with the Oak Ridge experiment is that they chose to use a 
>neutron source to nucleate the bubble. They also use neutron production as 
>the indicator that fusion has occurred. Yes, the respective neutrons 
>differ in energy and time, but extrordinary claims require extrordinary 
>proofs, so I would really, really prefer to see an experiment with no 
>neutron source anywhere near the experiment.

A high-powered physicist I know who takes this claim very seriously asserts 
that neutron production is a red herring; what counts as product is He4. 
The program also ran its experiment from published papers only; even a 
glancing acquaintance with the shared tacit knowledge required for lab 
replication shows that this is a recipe for wasting your time. (See classic 
case studies by Trevor Pinch and Harry Collins, for example.)

Damien Broderick