Deuteron-deuteron nuclear reactions at extremely low energies
K. Czerski
Abstract
The theoretical analysis of the $^{2}\mathrm{H}{(d,p)}^{3}\mathrm{H}$ reaction taking place in both metallic as well as gaseous targets at deuteron energies of several keV presented here indicates a strong contribution of the single-particle ${0}^{+}$ threshold resonance. Additional arguments based on the weak coupling between the 2 + 2 and 3 + 1 clustering states of the compound nucleus $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ support this resonance and suggest its large partial width for the internal electron-positron pair formation that overestimates the proton width. A detailed study of the interplay between the resonance transition and the electron screening effect enables estimation of the nuclear reaction rate of the deuteron-deuteron fusion reactions at room temperature.