Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) report on High Energy Science & Technology Assessment workshop, June 29, 2007

Oggi vi presento un report del 2007, originariamente "for official use only", distruibuito solo tra le agenzie governative USA e loro contractors, poi declassificato nel 2011, infine messo on line ieri su http://www.governmentattic.org. Ci fornisce un ampio resoconto su un workshop valutatativo sulla scienza delle alte energie svoltosi dal 12 al 13 dicembre 2006 a Fort Belvoir, in Virginia.

A Fort Belvoir ha infatti sede il committente del report cioè il Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), un'agenzia del Dipartimento della Difesa USA (DoD) fondata nel 1998 per contrastare le armi di distruzione di massa (chimiche, biologiche, radiologiche, nucleari, ed esplosivi ad alto potenziale). Le funzioni principali del DTRA sono la riduzione e il controllo di tali minacce, il supporto al combattimento e lo sviluppo tecnologico.  Il DTRA impiega 2.000 unità di personale civile e militare in più di 14 sedi in tutto il mondo, tra cui Russia, Kazakistan, Azerbaigian, Uzbekistan, Georgia e Ucraina.

Cosa diavolo hanno a che fare il DTRA e le alte energie con il chiodo fisso di questo blog, le LERN?

Parecchio, dal momento che il report in questione, già 8 anni fa - oltre che di isomeri nucleari, annichilazione materia-antimateria, fisica ed energia esotica, armi nucleari (a fusione e fissione) di quarta generazione - si occupava diffusamente proprio di LENR!

Divertitevi a spulciarlo e non soprendetevi troppo a leggere resoconti come questo:

"Dr. Mitchell Swartz, JET Energy, INC presented a brief summary of the results of excess heat experiments in electric-field loaded deuterated metals: Excess Heat in Electric-Field Loaded Deuterated Metals.  

He explained his methods for controlling measurement error and system noise by using dual calorimeter measurements that allowed precise differential measurement and integration of power. He was thus able to compare measurements of several different instruments to allow judgment of consistency in his reported results. 

The diffusion and electrophoresis equations show the advantages of low conductivity electrolytes and relatively high voltages for loading D into the electrodes with co-deposition of electrode material. btained energy and power gains over the D charging (loading) input power and discussed the importance of determining optimized operating points. Impressively, he showed a video demonstrating enough power to spin the propeller of a model airplane." (p. 18)

 O come questo:

"Professor Michael Melich, W.E. Meyer Institute for Systems Engineering, Naval Postgraduate School, talked about transmutation as the signal for detecting LENR using experiments conducted in a Deuterium cell with an electrolytic Pd diffusion barrier. Quantifying the transmutation products as an experimental approach potentially affords greater sensitivity and reproducibility than excess heat, since the new elements are not present initially and can be detectable in very small concentrations. 

Recent trials confirmed that following standard electrolysis experiments, the diffusion barrier contained elements not present before the runs. In principle, the results of a single run can then be analyzed by other labs to determine the degree of consistency in detection of small concentrations of transmuted elements." (p. 19)

Le LENR già nel 2007 erano presentate alle agenzie del Governo USA come evidenze sperimentali e scientifiche, come dati di fatto... altro che dubitare della loro esistenza!

Ovviamente non si nascondevano le criticità (p. 26):

Low Energy Nuclear Reactions are showing some remarkable progress with respect to energy (excess heat) production and transmuted element detection, but experiments remain only thinly reproducible. LENR also suffers from a basic lack of understanding of the governing physics.  

There is also a compelling need for a theory that can explain production rates and lead to specific electrode treatments and electrolyte compositions and predictions of reaction power, energy and products. The Widom theoretical construct appears promising, but lacks robust experimental verification and rigorous peer review.  

The polarizing history of LENR is a detriment to expanding research efforts and it seems unlikely that deployable/useable devices could be expected within a five to ten year horizon. Some low-level funding by 6.1 agencies seems appropriate, both to exploit the possibility of a breakthrough and to monitor other (international) research in this field. Nonetheless, DTRA should not go it alone; rather, it should provide the leadership to build interagency research consortia with a focus on fostering improved research facilities and rigorous experimental protocols.

Ma una cosa è sbandierare le criticità come markers di fallimento (se non d'imbroglio) al fine di bloccare la ricerca (uno dei giochini preferiti dei disinformatori di professione), altra è puntualizzarle proprio per promuovere una maggiore ricerca sulle LENR. Non a caso il report riporta queste raccomandazioni:

"LENR still suffers from negative publicity associated with Cold Fusion and is viewed as being conducted outside the domain of legitimate, mainstream science. Nonetheless, the persistent and increasingly repeatable demonstrations of excess heat and transmutation suggest that there is something here worth pursuing. DTRA should not do so alone, but rather foster consortia that would help bring discipline and rigorous experimental protocol to this field. Additionally, efforts to better understand the physics ofLENR as well as the development of first-principle predictive models are encouraged." (28)

È curioso poi trovare in una slide una domanda "retorica"... la stessa domanda usata spesso dai pato-scettici proprio per negare a priori la stessa possibilità delle LENR, usata qui per stimolare invece a cercare spiegazioni ai "paradossi" delle LENR (p. 40): 

"Why have LENR researchers not been killed by lethal doses of neutrons and gammas??" 

Vuoi vedere che il leader della negazione delle LENR in Italia, il chimico nucleare ex CAMEN Camillo Franchini, conosceva benissimo questo report sin dal 2007? Ritenete improbabile che l'ex supervisore dell'unico reattore nucleare a fissione militare italiano (tecnologia USA ovviamente) fosse/sia in contatto con agenzie governative USA e potesse avere accesso a questo genere di documenti?

Ed è significativo trovare le LENR anche all'interno dell'appendice dedicata alla possibile ricaduta dei campi di ricerca trattati dal report nello sviluppo di nuove armi nucleari (p. 54):

In a February 2002 report entitled, "Thermal and Nuclear Aspects of the Pd/D20 System," Dr. Frank E. Gordon, Head of the Navigation and Applied Sciences Department of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego, wrote: "We do not know if Cold Fusion will be the answer to future energy needs, but we do know the existence of Cold Fusion phenomenon through repeated observations by scientists throughout the world. It is time that this phenomenon be investigated so that we can reap whatever benefits accrue from additional scientific understanding. It is time for government funding organizations to invest in this research." From July 31-August 3, 2006, the National Defense Industrial Association and the Office of Naval Research co-hosted a Naval Science & Technology Partnership Conference in Washington, D.C., where Dr. Gordon hosted an "LENR Breakout Session" to discuss Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command research developments in low energy nuclear reaction research.  

Coverage of Dr. Gordon's remarks in the New Energy Times contained the following claim about U.S. government support for Cold Fusion research: "Although the U.S. Department of Energy has yet to fund studies in the area, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, long known for boldness in funding research, has been funding small LENR projects quietly for many years and recently has taken a renewed interest in the subject." 

The Internet abounds with additional reports of undetermined veracity suggesting that DARPA support for LENR, while discreet, is ongoing. However, little evidence suggests that the focus of this research is oriented toward the development of weapons."

Ma se Emilio del Giudice ci avesse visto giusto nel denunciare l'uso della fusione fredda per costruire mini nuclear-bomb tattiche senza necessità di massa critica, ci sarebbe da stupirsi della mancanza di informazioni al riguardo?

Potete scaricare tutto il documento qui: 

http://www.governmentattic.org/14docs/DTRA-HESTA_2007.pdf