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181) A new book about cold
fusion
Ludwik Kowalski (October 8,
2004)
Department of Mathematical Sciences
Montclair State University,
Upper Montclair, NJ, 07043
Last night I received an advance copy of a just-published book about
cold fusion by Steven Krivit. The title of the book is “The Rebirth of Cold
Fusion;” the second author is Nadine Winocur. My first intention was to
browse through the book and then share my first impressions. But I changed my
mind, after seeing how the book is introduced by several people. It is better if
I show what they wrote in the opening pages:
Advance acclaim for
The Rebirth Of Cold Fusion:
Real Science, Real Hope, Real Energy
Steven B. Krivit and Nadine Winocur,
Psy.D.
Foreword by Sir Arthur C. Clarke
http://www.newenergytimes.com
1) "The Rebirth of Cold Fusion is a very important and timely
book. It may help educate a generation of physicists told to believe cold fusion
doesn't exist. I look forward to future editions describing a definitive theory
of the phenomenon."
- Robert H. Parmenter, Emeritus Professor of
Physics, University of Arizona, and co-author of "Cold Fusion in Metals"
(Proceedings, National Academy of Science, Vol. 86, 1989) with Willis E. Lamb,
Nobel prize winner in Physics, 1955
2) "Basic research and its
progress depend upon how open the society is to accept new ideas and pursue them
to the end - right or wrong. The Rebirth of Cold Fusion brings out the
important question of whether the present form of peer review and financial
control by government agencies help in new innovations or not. It is obvious
that some changes have to be made, with the future in view."
- Dr. P. K.
Iyengar, Chairman (retired), Atomic Energy Commission,
India
3) "The Rebirth of Cold Fusion is an important report in the
good tradition of American investigative journalism. It exposes a scandalous
case of scientific misconduct, engages those who are guilty of foul play, and
sets the record straight. The book comes at a critical moment in which a
neglected field of inquiry is fighting for recognition. Let’s hope it helps cold
fusion gain the support a potential energy source deserves. Everybody should be
aware of the facts in this book.
- Haiko Lietz, Science Reporter,
Germany
4) About Cold Fusion
"The only thing
pathological about cold fusion is the way the scientific establishment has
treated it." -
Sharon Begley, "Cold Fusion Isn't Dead, It's Just
Withering From Scientific Neglect" (Wall Street Journal), Sep. 5,
2003
5) "No cover-up like this has happened before. It is a
profound scandal in American science."
- Charles Beaudette, author,
Excess Heat & Why Cold Fusion Research Prevailed,
2002
6) "In regard to cold fusion, it would be advisable for the
scientific community to brace itself for the fallout that will be coming soon
when the public starts to become aware that the scientific community was
engaging in an act of gross self-deception back in 1989."
- Brian
Josephson, Nobel prize for physics, 1973
7) "Cold fusion may
provide a clean nuclear energy to mankind. Since I have worked long in nuclear
engineering, it is a dream of nuclear energy."
- Akito Takahashi,
professor, department of nuclear engineering, graduate school of engineering,
Osaka University
8) "If Professor X.Z. Li [Tsinghua University,
China] is correct, then I'll have to throw away about 14 of the 16 chapters in
my book Introduction to Fusion Energy, because it will no longer be
relevant to the kinds of fusion that could result from this 'cold fusion'
process."
- Dr. J. Reece Roth, head of the industrial plasma
engineering group, University of Tennessee
I am still open-minded about
cold fusion claims. At present I am more interested in papers of research
scientists than in books focusing on social and historical aspects of cold
fusion phenomenon. That is why I will wait a while before reading this new book.
Let me mention another item, a paper, not a book, that is worth reading. It is
available over the Internet at:
http://www.newenergytimes.com/library/2004JosephsonB-LindauLecture.pdf
The author, Brian Josephson, is a Nobel Prize Laureate. He is a physicist but this
paper is a set of philosophical reflections. Josephson writes about validation
of scientific claims, and about social aspect of cold fusion. Note that he is
one of those who was quoted above.
Josephson's paper can also be downloaded from the library at www.lenr.canr.org
http://lenr-canr.org/acrobat/JosephsonBpathologic.pdf
The most important cold fusion papers (organized alphabetically by the first author) can be found in that library. Its downloadable pdf files are usually not available anywhere else. The library is a widely used resouce for cold fusion researchers.