On the Nuclear Mechanisms Underlying the Heat Production by the E-Cat

Abstract

We discuss the isotopic abundances found in the E-Cat reactor with regard to the nuclear mechanisms responsible for excess heat. We argue that a major source of energy is a reaction between the first excited-state of Li-7 and a proton, followed by the breakdown of Be-8 into two alphas with high kinetic energy, but without gamma radiation. The unusual property of the Li-7 isotope that allows this reaction is similar to the property that underlies the Mossbauer effect: the presence of unusually low-lying excited states in stable, odd-Z and/or odd-N nuclei. We use the lattice version of the independent-particle model (IPM) of nuclear theory to show how the geometrical structure of isotopes indicate nuclear reactions that are not predicted in the conventional version of the IPM. Finally, we speculate on similar mechanisms that may be involved in other low-energy nuclear reactions (LENR).