Dynamic screening correction for solar p-p reaction rates

TL;DR

This paper investigates the impact of dynamic screening effects on solar proton-proton reaction rates, finding that dynamic screening does not significantly alter the reaction rate compared to the bare Coulomb potential, challenging static screening assumptions.

Contribution

The study provides a correction to the proton-proton reaction rate considering dynamic screening, showing it has minimal effect contrary to static screening predictions.

Findings

Dynamic screening does not significantly change the reaction rate.

Contrasts with static screening theory predictions.

Supports the use of bare Coulomb potential in solar models.

Abstract

The solar abundance controversy inspires renewed investigations of the basic physics used to develop solar models. Here we examine the correction to the proton-proton reaction rate due to dynamic screening effects. Starting with the dynamic screening energy from the molecular-dynamics simulations of Mao et al., we compute a reaction-rate correction for dynamic screening. We find that, contrary to static screening theory, this dynamic screening does not significantly change the reaction rate from that of the bare Coulomb potential.