Astrophysical consequences of the screening of nuclear reactions

Abstract

A b s t r a c tThe rate of nuclear reactions depends on the influence of the surrounding particles that compose the plasma. At high densities the situation is far from being satisfactory and the influence of electron polarization has not been completely elucidated. In particular, it is shown that the possibility of an accretion induced collapse of a carbon-oxygen white dwarf instead of a supernova explosion completely depends on the screening factors and pycnonuclear rates that are adopted. Similarly, the possibility of detecting isolated neutron stars that accrete matter from the interstellar medium depends on the adopted pycnonuclear rates. Low rates allow the formation of a metastable layer that can release energy explosively and produce a7-ray burst. Nevertheless, current rates seem to prevent such a situation.Le taux des reactions nucleaires depend de l'influence exercee par les particules voisines qui composent le plasma. A haute densite, la situation est loin d'etre satisfaisante et l'influence de la polarization electronique n'est pas sufisamment claire. En particulier, on montre que la possibilite d'obtenir un collapse non explosif d'une naine blanche de carbone oxygene depend des facteurs d'ecrantage et des taux pycnonucleaires adoptes. Egalement, la possibilite de detecter des etoiles a neutrons isoiees depend des taux pycnonucleaires adoptes. Des petites valeurs favorisent la formation d'une couche metastable qui peut liberer de l'energie explosivement et produire 106 at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi