Metastable Non-Nucleonic States of Nuclear Matter: Phenomenology

Abstract

A hypothesis of the existence of metastable states for nuclear matter with a locally shaken-up nucleonic structure of the nucleus, was proposed earlier. Such states are initiated by inelastic scattering of electrons by nuclei along the path of weak nuclear interaction. The relaxation of such nuclei is also determined by weak interactions. The use of the hypothesis makes it possible to physically interpret a rather large group of experimental data on the initiation of low energy nuclear reactions (LENRs) and the acceleration of radioactive α- and β-decays in a low-temperature plasma. The possible mechanisms of LENRs implemented in a Rossi E-CAT reactor are discussed. It is also suggested that the metastable isu-states of a different type occur as a result of high-energy collisions of particles, when heavy hadrons (baryons, mesons) are formed in the collisions of protons with characteristic energies higher than 1 TeV. This kind of concept makes it possible to physically interpret the recently recorded anomaly in the angular  correlations of positron-electron pairs emitted in the radioactive decays of excited 8Be nuclei formed by the interaction between protons with kinetic energy ~ 1 MeV and 7Li nuclei. A recent hypothesis of the existence of yet another, fifth fundamental interaction by Feng et al, in addition to the strong/weak nuclear, electromagnetic, and gravitational interactions, might be introduced to explain this anomaly.