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arXiv · 2502.11240

Quantum Dynamical Microscopic Approach to Stellar Carbon Burning

Grant Close·Paul Stevenson·Alexis Diaz-Torres
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Abstract

The process of carbon burning is vital to understanding late stage stellar evolution of massive stars and the conditions of certain supernovae. Carbon burning is a complex problem, involving quantum tunnelling and nuclear molecular states. Quantum dynamical calculations of carbon burning are presented, combining the time-dependent wave-packet method and the density-constrained time-dependent Hartree-Fock (DC-TDHF) approach. By limiting the contribution of triaxial molecular configurations to fusion, we demonstrate that the DC-TDHF interaction potential successfully explains the appearance of some resonant structures in the sub-barrier fusion cross-section. This result shows the critical role of nucleon-nucleon interactions in the 12C + 12C fusion resonances observed at astrophysical energies.

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Grant Close, Paul Stevenson, Alexis Diaz-Torres. 2025-05-23. Quantum Dynamical Microscopic Approach to Stellar Carbon Burning. https://doi.org/0.1016/j.physletb.2025.139881

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