This 2011 blog is still applicable to the new e-Cat:
The Physics of why the e-Cat’s Cold Fusion Claims Collapse
Basically, there is the astrophysics of
* The proposed Ni -> Cu by the addition of a proton does not even happen in stars like the Sun. The Sun has 100 times more Ni than it does Cu.
* Ni is converted to Cu in massive stars like red giants but not by proton capture - by neutron capture followed by beta decay.
The nuclear physics of
* Every proposed Cu isotope is unstable or excited. They decay back to Ni + a positron + a photon (gamma rays) + a neutrino or to the ground state by emitting a photon.
* The positrons annihilate with electrons producing more
easily identifiable gamma rays.
* You need "a foot of lead, a meter of concrete, or a few meters of water" to shield yourself from gamma rays.
The original e-Cat had 2 inches of lead as shielding. That was enough to filter out 96% of any hypothetical gamma radiation. The problem was that they did not detect the remaining 4% and that should be enough to kill the researchers
!
ETA:
The new e-Cat analysis is worse
* there seems to be no signs of shielding. See Figure 3.
* they weight the e-Cat after the test without shielding. 59Cu has a half-life of 81.5(5) s, 61Cu 3.333(5) h and 62Cu 9.673(8) min.
* there are dosimeters used for "radiation emission measurements". They have control dosimeters at a distance "d > 50cm". They seem to think that gamma radiation is stopped in a less than 1 meter of air!
* They applied instruments directly to the ash
!
Subsequently, Bianchini evaluated the possible presence of alpha, beta and gamma radiation by applying his instruments directly to the powder that was subsequently inserted into the reactor. The same operation was repeated after the end of the test on the powder extracted from the reactor. In both cases, no signs of activity were found.
* for some strange reason, they tested for neutron radiation and found none.
* they double up on the woo by proposing the reaction p + 7Li -> 8Be -> 4He + 4He to explain the change in Li abundance. But they detect no alpha particles!
In a way the researchers did a good job but could not come to the reasonable conclusion because of their bias: The readings tell anyone who can read that there is no possible nuclear fusion process that is producing the claimed heat excess. Thus the heat excess is probably fraud on Rossi's part.
