The announcement of cold fusion in March 1989 at the University of Utah was greeted with astonishment worldwide. Drs. Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons had claimed that an electrochemical cell with heavy water electrolyte and a palladium cathode gave rise to so much excess energy that the mysterious phenomenon had to be nuclear, and was probably a process related to nuclear fusion. Many scientists quickly took sides for or against cold fusion--mostly against. By the end of the summer the experts claimed cold fusion didn't exist. They said it was an experimental error and could not be reproduced. Actually, the story had barely begun. Provocative research had never ended. Cold fusion was and is very much alive. IN THIS BOOK, Dr. Mizuno describes both the dark and bright sides of the cold fusion story: the frustration, the boredom, the endless guerrilla war with scientists who wanted to stop the research, science journalists who appeared to thrive on the outpouring of supposedly negative results, fruitless battles to publish a paper or be heard at a physics conference, but then also the triumph of dramatic experimental results in the production of huge excess energy and the paradigm busting discovery of the low-energy transmutation of heavy elements found on cold fusion electrodes. It is impossible for one book to encompass the now expanding worldwide effort to understand the cold fusion enigma, but for those who want to learn about the rest of the story, this account of one scientist's experience on the frontiers of knowledge is an excellent beginning.
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"I find this frank and open exposition by Dr. Mizuno to be the most thoughtful, most interesting, and most helpful scientifically of all the books to date about 'cold fusion.' In the process of recounting his experiences and views, Dr. Mizuno provides an important glimpse into how research often evolves in practice and how the process can plunge into a chaotic maze in some cases, like 'cold fusion.'" -- Professor George Miley, University of Illinois, Fusion Studies Laboratory
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Japanese
Original Language: Japanese
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45 of 48 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
This English translation of Tadahiko Mizuno's Japanese book on cold fusion served as a valuable introduction to significant research and progress in a scientific process many have written off as unachievable. In recounting his personal research with electrochemical cells designed to produce a practical source of energy, Dr. Mizuno tells a story of many failures and a few successes. Clearly, reproducibility and consistent power production have been significant problems in producing energy by cold fusion. Though Mizuno was forced to work under conditions that would be regarded as difficult and unacceptable in much of Europe and the U.S., this persevering researcher slowly learned important factors that relate to the goal of achieving a sustained, controlled, and repeatable cold fusion. The obstacles faced by Mizuno were not limited to poor laboratory equipment or the expense of crucial materials, for he also was required to perform the time-consuming teaching duties of a professor and direct or restrict his research and publication efforts as required by authorities. Dr. Mizuno seems to understand what engineers know quite well: a valid theory facilitates the design of a device by proceeding with a design based upon the knowledge of electrical, chemical, and physical properties of materials. I quite enjoyed those parts of the book that revealed the human qualities of Dr. Mizuno as he struggled towards his personal goal of demonstrating cold fusion. At times, he shares a moment of philsophical reflection, showing delightful sides of his personality and character. For a novice in cold fusion research, the glossary proved indispensable. Here, terms are carefully defined, instrumentation functions are described, energy relationships are listed, chemical reactions are explained, and acronymns are expanded. Most readers can learn a lot of basic material on cold fusion by just reading the glossary. The book includes a bibliography of references, an index of topics, and an eight-page cold fusion chronology describing key events from 1967 to 1999. Experienced cold fusion researchers will want to read this book to see if they are named in it and to follow the path to knowledge taken by one of their greatest colleagues. Novices interested in this subject will find that this book tells a readable, event-driven story that teaches as it informs.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
How often do we have to shake off our preconceived dogmatisms?
The history of science is replete with examples.
Here is a contemporary example.
It has become blindingly obvious that Chemicaly Aided Nuclear Reactions are real and have been the victim of vested interests, much to our loss.
How much better Japan would be now if these discoveries were supported and pursued instead of fission generation.
Let us pray that Rossi can overcome his craven opponents and bring his demonstration to the market.
Tadahiko Mizuno is an honerable professor of electro chemistry who has been working on the issue since 1989.
If you are of an open mind you will find this a good and easy read. It shows the triumph of empircism of over theory.
Thank you Professor Mizuno
The history of science is replete with examples.
Here is a contemporary example.
It has become blindingly obvious that Chemicaly Aided Nuclear Reactions are real and have been the victim of vested interests, much to our loss.
How much better Japan would be now if these discoveries were supported and pursued instead of fission generation.
Let us pray that Rossi can overcome his craven opponents and bring his demonstration to the market.
Tadahiko Mizuno is an honerable professor of electro chemistry who has been working on the issue since 1989.
If you are of an open mind you will find this a good and easy read. It shows the triumph of empircism of over theory.
Thank you Professor Mizuno
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I enjoyed reading this. I felt a little overwhelmed at times with the equations, but most of the book is very easy to comprehend, even for the average student interested in nuclear transmutation.
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 5
books:
5
books
cite this book:
- Fire from Ice: Searching for the Truth Behind the Cold Fusion Furor by Eugene J. Mallove in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Nuclear Fusion by Keishiro Niu in Back Matter
- Too Hot to Handle: Story of the Race for Cold Fusion by F.E. Close in Back Matter
- Bad Science: The Short Life and Weird Times of Cold Fusion by Gary Taubes in Back Matter
- A Reference Grammar of Japanese by Samuel Elmo Martin in Front Matter
- The Rebirth of Cold Fusion: Real Science, Real Hope, Real Energy by Steven B. Krivit on page 204, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Undead Science: Science Studies and the Afterlife of Cold Fusion by Bart Simon in Back Matter
- Excess Heat: Why Cold Fusion Research Prevailed (2nd Edition) by Charles G. Beaudette on page 323
- Condensed Matter Nuclear Science: Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Cold Fusion: Marseilles, France, 31 October-5 November 2004 by Jean-paul Biberian on page 878
- The Unification of Strong, Gravitational & Electric Forces by Vladimir B. Ginzburg in Back Matter
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