Impact of the molecular resonances on the <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si1.svg"><mml:mmultiscripts><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">C</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mprescripts/><mml:none/><mml:mrow><mml:mn>12</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:mmultiscripts><mml:mo linebreak="goodbreak" linebreakstyle="after">+</mml:mo><mml:msup><mml:mrow/><mml:mrow><mml:mn>12</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msup><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">C</mml:mi></mml:math> fusion reaction rate

Abstract

The properties of the low-energy C12+12C molecular resonances, which potentially enhance the fusion reaction rate at low temperatures, have been investigated by a full-microscopic nuclear model employing various nuclear energy density functionals. We show that some density functionals plausibly describe the observed high-spin C12+12C molecular resonances and predict many 0+ and 2+ resonances at low energies, which enhance the reaction rate. We also discuss how the uncertainty in the nuclear energy density functionals propagates to that of the reaction rate.

Topics & Concepts