Cluster effects on low-energy carbon burning

Abstract

Carbon burning is crucial for the fate of massive stars and element creation in the Universe. Its understanding at stellar energies is a great theoretical challenge, as carbon fusion is a multidimensional quantum tunneling process affected by resonances whose origin is not fully understood yet. Simplified quantum dynamical coupled-channels calculations are presented, suggesting that clustering in the intermediate nuclear molecule is a source of fusion resonances.

Keywords

• Carbon burning
• Molecular resonances
• Cluster effects
• Nuclear fusion
• Coupled channels
• Wave packet dynamics