Fusion dynamics of $^{12}$C+$^{12}$C reaction: An astrophysical interest within the relativistic mean-field approach

TL;DR

This study investigates the fusion cross-section of the $^{12}$C+$^{12}$C reaction using relativistic mean-field densities and nucleon-nucleon potentials, providing insights relevant to stellar evolution with results aligning well with experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces the use of the R3Y nucleon-nucleon potential within a relativistic mean-field framework to analyze fusion dynamics, comparing it with the traditional M3Y potential.

Findings

R3Y potential yields better agreement with experimental fusion cross-sections.

Relativistic mean-field densities improve the accuracy of fusion reaction modeling.

The study enhances understanding of stellar fusion processes.

Abstract

The $^{12}$C+$^{12}$C fusion reaction plays a significant role in the later phases of stellar evolution. For a better understanding of the evolution involved, one must understand the corresponding fusion-fission dynamics and reaction characteristics. In the present analysis, we have studied the fusion cross-section along with the S-factor for this reaction using the well-known M3Y and recently developed R3Y nucleon-nucleon (NN) potential along with the relativistic mean-field densities in double folding approach. The density distributions and the microscopic R3Y NN potential are calculated using the NL3$^*$ parameter set. The $\ell$- summed Wong model is employed to investigate the fusion cross-section, with $\ell_{max}$-values from the sharp cut-off model. The calculated results are also then compared with the experimental data. It is found that the R3Y interaction gives a reasonable agreement with the data.