Screening Effects in Stars and in the Laboratory

Nuclear reactions are the driver of the evolution of many astrophysical objects. In the astrophysical environment their respective reaction rates are, however, modified due to the presence of other charges. The effects depend on the relative importance of Coulomb energy versus thermal energy and are...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inFrontiers in physics Vol. 10
Main Authors Aliotta, Marialuisa, Langanke, Karlheinz
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Frontiers Media S.A 06.07.2022
Subjects
electron screening
nucleosynthesis
pycno-nuclear reactions
stellar burning
stellar plasma
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Summary:Nuclear reactions are the driver of the evolution of many astrophysical objects. In the astrophysical environment their respective reaction rates are, however, modified due to the presence of other charges. The effects depend on the relative importance of Coulomb energy versus thermal energy and are distinguished between weak and strong screening. In the extreme case of pycnonuclear reactions, fusion reactions can be induced by the zero-point motion of nuclei in a Coulomb crystal. This paper reviews the various screening situations and discusses important applications. We also briefly review laboratory approaches to study screening effects.
ISSN:2296-424X
2296-424X
DOI:10.3389/fphy.2022.942726