1210.5212 (A. Widom et al.)

Erroneous Wave Functions of Ciuchi et al for Collective Modes in Neutron
Production on Metallic Hydride Cathodes    [PDF]

A. Widom, Y. N. Srivastava, L. Larsen

There is a recent comment (Ciuchi et al., 2012) concerning the theory of collective many body effects on the neutron production rates in a chemical battery cathode. Ciuchi et al employ an inverse beta decay expression that contains a two body amplitude. Only one electron and one proton may exist in the Ciuchi et al model initial state wave function. A flaw in their reasoning is that one cannot in reality describe collective many body correlations with only a two particle wave function. One needs very many particles to describe collective effects. In the model wave functions of Ciuchi et al there are no metallic hydrides, there are no cathodes and there are no chemical batteries. Employing a wave function with only one electron and one proton is inadequate for describing collective metallic hydride surface quantum plasma physics in cathodes accurately.

View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1210.5212