Doubts Grow as Many Attempts at Cold Fusion Fail

All the world has been hoping for evidence that Martin Fleischmann of the University of Southampton, England, and Stanley Pons of the University of Utah are right. The pair claimed on 23 March that, inside a small cell containing a palladium cathode immersed in heavy water at room temperature, deuterium nuclei were fusing and producing heat at a rate four times higher than the input power. Two hectic months later scores of research groups were ready to confirm or deny that claim. Many reported at special sessions of the APS meeting in Baltimore and of the Electrochemical Society meeting in Los Angeles in early May. At the time of this writing the “nays” were outnumbering the “yeas.” Although the final tally will not be taken until more experiments are done and all papers are published in peer‐reviewed journals, the euphoria is quickly fading.

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