Deep sub-barrier fusion reactions of the light nuclei $^{12}$C and $^{16}$O

TL;DR

This paper investigates fusion reactions of light nuclei $^{12}$C and $^{16}$O relevant for stellar processes, using a double folding method with effective forces, finding no hindrance at low energies and estimating reaction rates.

Contribution

It applies a standard double folding approach with Gogny-D1 and M3Y-Paris forces to evaluate fusion cross-sections at stellar energies, showing no hindrance phenomenon.

Findings

No hindrance observed at sub-barrier energies.

Reaction rates estimated for stellar conditions.

Comparison with traditional extrapolation formulas.

Abstract

Fusion reactions relevant for the carbon and oxygen burning cycles in highly evolved stars are investigated in a standard approach to fusion. We employ the double folding method to evaluate the ion-ion interactions with Gogny-D1 and M3Y-Paris $n-n$ effective forces. The cross-section evaluation do not indicate a possible hindrance even at the lowest energies under the barrier. Reaction rates at temperatures relevant for the stellar processes are estimated and compared to the traditional and modern extrapolation formulas.