Interesting.
The source I quoted was the UT Center for Quantum Nucleonics Tutorial.

A 1-2% effect if that's all there is theoretically or practically is interesting basic and applied science but impractical (read useless) as a power source. What the NS article and the Texas Tutorial imply is in effect an analogy to the laser effect with electons where you pump in a source of external energy and it causes the material's electrons to change the same N quantum states together producing coherent "laser" output of one nice lambda. The NS article claims that nucleus quantum levels, which I'd never heard of, have higher energies (but sounds good to my freshman college physics 'cause protons have more rest mass) such that a nucleus quantum level change if such could occur, would release MORE energy than a wimpy electron state change.

-p (still doing the factorial)