A Visit to MIT

Many thanks to Barry Simon for submitting this report of his visit to MIT to meet Dr. Peter Hagelstein and view Dr. Mitchell Swartz’s NANOR LENR device.

Hi all,

I went to MIT yesterday. My wife and I were scheduled to play music at a spring fair at the college. I sent Peter Hagelstein an email asking if I could see him and the Cold Fusion device, and to my surprise I got a welcome reply. To top it off he graciously said he could give me 30 minutes. For two days prior I tried to think of pertinent questions. I was hoping to videotape the whole thing, but he asked that we just talk without the camera running. However he did allow me to video the CF device. Like the “EverReady Bunny” it has been running continuously since January. It is sealed so it has not been refueled. It is putting out between ten to fourteen times more energy than its input. I was surprised that it does not produce steam. Apparently it is quite different than A Rossi’s Ecat since it uses palladium and is small. It is in a plastic bin (making the inner works hard to see) with all sorts of measuring devices hooked up to it. PH said he couldn’t open the bin because the temperature measurements were dependent on it being contained. I asked if he would mind if I put the 30 second video on YouTube, and he thought it would be the right thing to ask Michael Swartz of Jet Energy. I sent an email off to him when I got home. (see earlier post) Mitchell Swartz mentioned this in his reply: “… the setup at MIT has been measuring “heat after death” these last two weeks, with no additional electrical input power.” I’m not exactly sure what that means.

PH said his son is about to videotape an interview with him. Not sure when this will be out.

We talked for about forty five minutes. He is by no means an egotistical person, and for me personally it was great to have all my questions answered. My first question was: Is LENR now repeatable science? If you emailed detailed directions to someone in Japan, could they build a replica and get the same results (10 – 14 times the output)? To my discouragement he answered “Yes and no.” (I was hoping for a resounding “Yes!”) He explained (and I can only paraphrase) how different samples of palladium react differently, and right now the sample they are using is quite effective. There are other factors as well.

I asked whatever happened to the “Patterson cell,” and he mentioned the same phenomenon as above. It seemed when Patterson made his minuscule beads, one batch worked great but he didn’t seem to be able to produce more and get the same results. I wonder if this same phenomenon is what happened to F&P. perhaps they were fortunate enough to find an effective metal, for reasons not yet understood, where others tried to repeat and the palladium was not as conductive. (James Patterson died in 2008. George Miley claims he has reproduced a version of the Patterson cell.)

I asked about the politics at MIT thinking there would be a great divide between the Hot Fusion and the Cold Fusion people (on the web they seem as polarized as Republicans and Democrats). He implied there isn’t that much tension between the two. I assumed tension between the two was why the donated research money got returned by a higher- up at MIT, and he told me the physicist who returned the money just does not believe in Cold Fusion because it is against everything he was taught.

And all you skeptics out there will be glad to know he said skepticism is a good thing.

I asked (I wanted to hear it from someone like him) if it is true that LENR has the potential to reduce nuclear waste into a harmless waste product and he said “Yes.” I asked if it will be able to desalinate salt water so it can be used for irrigation in arid countries and he said “Yes.”

I asked about people visiting MIT to see the “Nanor,” and he said for people to email him first. I feel lucky I got in to talk to him and see the CF device. It all seemed quite sychronistic. But I would discourage curiosity seekers. He is a busy man and seems to thoroughly enjoy research, though I think some of you rocket scientist type people would not have a hard time getting an interview.

I tried to take notes and carry on a conversation at the same time. Not my strong point. An experienced interviewer would find a treasure trove with Peter Hagelstein.

I feel a little uncomfortable paraphrasing all of this. I don’t have the technical background that many of you have. My only Physics teacher in High School was narcoleptic (I’m not joking). We used to sit in class wondering if we should wake him up or not. I didn’t learn much that year.

At the end I told him how I hang my hopes and dreams on LENR and he said “All technologies are like a double-edged sword. They can be used for good or evil.”

I wrote in once to Frank that he might not want to quote a source who just gives an Internet name. My name is Barry Simon from Massachusetts, USA. (I am not Barry Simon the famous mathematician, but Barry Simon the not so famous musician) Peace and Light.