  There is a recent comment (Ciuchi et al., 2012) concerning the theory of
collective many body effects on the neutron production rates in a chemical
battery cathode. Ciuchi et al employ an inverse beta decay expression that
contains a two body amplitude. Only one electron and one proton may exist in
the Ciuchi et al model initial state wave function. A flaw in their reasoning
is that one cannot in reality describe collective many body correlations with
only a two particle wave function. One needs very many particles to describe
collective effects. In the model wave functions of Ciuchi et al there are no
metallic hydrides, there are no cathodes and there are no chemical batteries.
Employing a wave function with only one electron and one proton is inadequate
for describing collective metallic hydride surface quantum plasma physics in
cathodes accurately.
