Nuclear fusion in a dense plasma

Abstract

The standard theory of nuclear fusion rates in a strongly interacting plasma can be (correctly) derived only when the energy release, Q, is large compared to other energies in the problem. We exhibit a result for rates that provides a basis for calculating the finite Q corrections. Crude estimates indicate a significant defect in the conventional results for some regions of high density and strong plasma coupling. We also lay some groundwork for a path integral calculation of the new effects.

Final version to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett.

References in corpus (2)

• Coulomb tunneling for fusion reactions in dense matter: Path integral Monte Carlo versus mean field
• Possible Resonances in the 12C + 12C Fusion Rate and Superburst Ignition