About barns

Barns?  What does that have to do with LENR?

Barns is a unit of measurement of area, which is used to expressing the cross sectional area in nucleii and nuclear reactions.  This is relevant is judging the probability of a nuclear reaction, such as the ones calculated yesterday.

It appears that some of the reactions listed may not be likely.  Others may be more likely, like the one for cobalt.  That is summarize as nickel 58 to cobalt 59 to nickel 60.  This would appear to be a good candidate for a reaction sequence, if I am figuring this right.  Here is a periodic table of elements, in which you can find the "barns" for each element and isotopes.  The bigger the barn, the better the chance is that the critter will find its way into it.  ( As a manner of speaking)  You want larger numbers.  The smaller ones would indicate a smaller "barn".

This caught my attention because I got an idea that maybe you could slow down the neutrons and get these type of reaction sequences.  This is done in nuclear reactors with uranium ( or others) , but perhaps not with elements such as nickel ( so far as I know).  Has anyone tried it?  Well, this table implies that yes, it has been tried.  But what I mean is, did anyone try it with the intention to produce energy from it?  Or is it possible to do that?

If so, it is something like Widom Larsen's theory, but that theory requires ultra low momentum neutrons.  There may not be a handy way to get the neutrons to slow down enough for these type of reactions.  But if there was a way, you could have another way of getting the energy that you are looking for.

Update:
It seems that in 2004, Boffins at CalTech figured out a way to slow neutrons down to 15 mph.

Update:
 Cobalt 60 has been produced by slow neutrons already.  It takes a long time for it to decay.  Looks like it isn't useful for generating energy.  Shucks.

Update:
 I'm finding that Widom Larsen can't explain the E-cat.  The beta decays are not likely to yield the energy observed in any meaningful and useful timeframe.  These could take years to decay.  Energy production needs to take place in much shorter periods of time.  All of this is subject to error on my part, since I am not trained for this.  I'm going to think that this isn't a fruitful area of study.  That's my conclusion.

That leaves BECNF or some other theory.  Beta decays won't work.

Update:
Geez.  I'm making a mistake.  Okay, let's say it is still possible.