Helium production during the electrolysis of D2O in cold fusion experiments

Our interest in the “cold fusion” process [1,2] was piqued by the apparent lack of systematic investigation into the composition of the gaseous products produced during the electrolysis of D2O. A critical issue in determining whether or not the cold fusion process exists is the quality of the evidence concerning the composition of the gaseous products. The low intensity of neutrons has prompted proposals of other fusion processes such as d + d → He + γ [3] and p + d → He [4,5]. Accordingly, we report the results of experiments designed to detect helium in the effluent gases from electrolysis reactions at palladium cathodes while rigorously excluding possible helium contamination from other sources. The calorimetric electrolysis experiments reported here were performed at China Lake, and the analyses designed to establish the composition of the effluent gases were performed in Austin.