The electron screening puzzle and nuclear clustering

TL;DR

This paper proposes that the electron screening puzzle in nuclear astrophysics experiments is explained by nuclear clustering effects rather than atomic physics, providing a new perspective on the unexpectedly high screening potentials.

Contribution

It introduces the idea that nuclear clustering effects, not atomic electron screening, account for the high screening potentials observed in low-energy nuclear reactions.

Findings

Clustering effects significantly influence nuclear reaction cross sections.

Nuclear clustering explains the high screening potentials without atomic physics assumptions.

The approach offers a new explanation for the electron screening puzzle.

Abstract

Accurate measurements of nuclear reactions of astrophysical interest within, or close to, the Gamow peak, show evidence of an unexpected effect attributed to the presence of atomic electrons in the target. The experiments need to include an effective "screening" potential to explain the enhancement of the cross sections at the lowest measurable energies. Despite various theoretical studies conducted over the past 20 years and numerous experimental measurements, a theory has not yet been found that can explain the cause of the exceedingly high values of the screening potential needed to explain the data. In this letter we show that instead of an atomic physics solution of the "electron screening puzzle", the reason for the large screening potential values is in fact due to clusterization effects in nuclear reactions, in particular for reaction involving light nuclei.