Nuclear problems in astrophysical q-plasmas and environments

TL;DR

This paper explores how nuclear decay and fusion processes in astrophysical plasmas are influenced by environmental factors, proposing advanced statistical methods to better understand these effects beyond traditional models.

Contribution

It introduces the application of q-thermostatistics and superstatistics to model nuclear processes in astrophysical environments, addressing limitations of classical approaches.

Findings

Environmental effects significantly alter nuclear decay constants.

Fusion reaction rates are enhanced in metallic environments.

New statistical frameworks improve modeling of metastable nuclear states.

Abstract

Experimental measurements in terrestrial laboratory, space and astrophysical observations of variation and fluctuation of nuclear decay constants, measurements of large enhancements in fusion reaction rate of deuterons implanted in metals and electron capture by nuclei in solar core indicate that these processes depend on the environment where take place and possibly also on the fluctuation of some extensive parameters and eventually on stellar energy production. Electron screening is the first important environment effect. We need to develop a treatment beyond the Debye-Huckel screening approach, commonly adopted within global thermodynamic equilibrium. Advances in the description of these processes can be obtained by means of q-thermostatistics and/or superstatistics for metastable states. This implies to handle without ambiguities the case q<1.