Nuclear-chemical processes under the conditions of laser ablation of metals in aqueous media (problems of “cold fusion”)

A brief review of results on initiation of nuclear transformations under conditions of the laser ablation of metals in aqueous media upon exposure to picosecond laser impulses with peak intensity J _E ～ 10¹⁰–10¹³ W/cm², which is orders of magnitude less than required for the direct initiation of nuclear processes, J _E ～ 10¹⁸–10¹⁹ W/cm², is presented. It is shown that the decay rate of radioactive nuclei (using the example of uranium 238) increases significantly (by orders of magnitude), nucleus transmutation processes are initiated (using the example of the transmutation of mercury 196 nuclei into gold 197), and the nuclear fusion of light elements occurs (using the example of tritium nuclei) under such conditions. Concepts regarding the processes of inelastic (with the generation of neutrino-antineutrino pair) interactions between electrons of high (on the chemical scale) energies (～5–10 eV) and nuclei are developed in order to understand the totality of the current experimental data on the initiation of such processes under conditions of the laser ablation of metals in solutions of ordinary and heavy water. This is reflected in the definition of such processes as nuclear-chemical. It is suggested that the state of nuclear matter in nuclei formed during such interactions is in an unbalanced in-shake-up state, and cannot be pictured in the standard manner, as an ensemble of a certain number of nucleons. Such states are reactive for a wide class of nuclear transformations.