History and Status of Cold Fusion
Research
Speaker: Dr. Scott R. Chubb
Time/Date: 7:30 pm.,
Thursday evening, February 17, 2005
Place: James Bates Hall , Ascension Catholic Church, 12700
Lanham- Severn Road,
Bowie, Maryland 20720 Tel: 301 262 2227
Abstract
Unforeseen factors so seriously disrupted initial discussions of
"Cold Fusion" that within 6 weeks of the initial announcements,
meaningful debate about the subject, effectively ended. In fact, not
only have key aspects of the initial "debate" (or "lack of debate") and
subsequent events been questioned by scientists, the events, scientific
dynamic (or lack of it) and subsequent history have become a topic for
mainstream journals of Ethics in Science, dealing with questions
related to the adjudication of science, and the dissemination of
scientific information. Despite the serious breakdown in the scientific
process, work in replicating the effects observed by Pons and
Fleischmann and by Jones not only continued, but with time, new effects
were observed. We now know that the effects observed by Pons and
Fleischmann and by Jones were quite real. We also know that in both
cases, the associated phenomena were triggered by nuclear reactions.
However, Pons and Fleischmann did not observe a "Colder Version" of
conventional fusion. They found something else: a new form of nuclear
fusion that does not create high energy particles or radiation. In
fact, with time, it has become apparent that other forms of nuclear
reactions can take place in solids, in which the only by-products
appear to be new elements and heat. As a consequence, as opposed to
"Cold Fusion", Pons and Fleischmann actually discovered a form of Low
Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR). In the talk, I will provide an overview
of the "Cold Fusion" controversy, and I will summarize recent work,
related not only to the initial claims by Pons and Fleischmann, but to
the more general LENR field.
Biographical Sketch of Scott Chubb
Since 1989, Scott Chubb has been a research Physicist at the U.S. Naval
Research Laboratory (NRL), in Washington, DC. He has been an author of
more than 60 refereed publications in scientific journals in areas
related to physics, geophysics, and oceanography, and he has one
patent. In areas related to Low Energy Nuclear Reactions, he serves as
a technical editor of Infinite Energy Magazine, was a guest editor of a
special two issue edition of the Taylor and Francis Ethics in Science
journal, Accountability in Research, dealing with the Cold Fusion
controversy and is one of the authors of the report, prepared for the
Office of Naval Research that documents the 10 year effort by the Naval
Air Warfare Center, the Space Warfare Systems Center, and the Naval
Research Laboratory to reproduce and understand the Excess Heat effect,
observed by Pons and Fleischmann.
Note: The talk will be preceded by a recitation of the
rosary. Light refreshments will be provided.
Catholic Association of Scientists and Engineers, Fatima Chapter
For more information, call Dr. Francis J. Kelly, 301-464-0486
or email: KellyFjp@msn.com or write to CAS+E, Box 72, Glenn Dale, MD
20769
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