Electronic stopping in astrophysical fusion reactions

Abstract

The stopping power of protons and deuterons in low energy collisions with helium gas targets is investigated with the numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger coupled-channels equations using molecular orbital wavefunctions. It is shown that at low projectile energies the energy loss is mainly due to nuclear stopping, charge exchange, and the excitation of low energy levels in the target. The second and third mechanisms, called electronic stopping, dominate for E>200 eV. At lower energies it is also shown that a threshold effect is responsible for a quick drop of the energy loss. This investigation sheds more light on the long standing electron screening problem in fusion reactions of astrophysical interest.

arXiv comment12 pages, 4 figures

References in corpus (3)

• Energy Loss, Electron Screening, and the Astrophysical 3He(d,p)4He cross section
• Small Effects in Astrophysical Fusion Reactions
• The stopping of swift protons in matter and its implication for astrophysical fusion reactions

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Solar fusion cross sections II: the pp chain and CNO cycles
• Frontiers in Nuclear Astrophysics
• Solar fusion III: New data and theory for hydrogen-burning stars
• Indirect methods in nuclear astrophysics with relativistic radioactive beams
• Tunneling of atoms, nuclei and molecules
• Pygmy resonances and symmetry energy
• Post-formation in alpha emission from nuclei
• Nuclear astrophysics from direct reactions