Enhancement of the Triple Alpha Rate in a Hot Dense Medium

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the triple-alpha nuclear reaction rate increases significantly in hot, dense astrophysical environments due to hadronic effects, impacting element formation in supernovae and x-ray bursters.

Contribution

It provides a statistical model to quantify the enhancement of the triple-alpha rate as a function of temperature and density, emphasizing its importance in astrophysical scenarios.

Findings

Enhancement can exceed a factor of 100 at high density and temperature.

Enhanced rate improves modeling of carbon production in supernova neutrino winds.

The results suggest using the enhanced rate in relevant astrophysical models.

Abstract

In a sufficiently hot and dense astrophysical environment the rate of the triple-alpha (3alpha) reaction can increase greatly over the value appropriate for helium burning stars owing to hadronically induced de-excitation of the Hoyle state. In this paper we use a statistical model to evaluate the enhancement as a function of temperature and density. For a density of $10^6 gm cm^{-3}$ enhancements can exceed a factor of one-hundred. In high temperature/density situations, the enhanced 3alpha rate is a better estimate of this rate and should be used in these circumstances. We then examine the effect of these enhancements on production of $^{12}$C in the neutrino wind following a supernova explosion and in an x-ray burster.