Study of dense helium plasma in the optimal hypernetted chain approximation
- W. K. Kellogg Radiation Laboratory, 106-38, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125 (United States)
We have studied the helium plasma in the hypernetted chain approximation considering both short-ranged internuclear and long-ranged Coulomb interactions. The optimal two-particle wave function has been determined in fourth order; fifth-order corrections have been considered in the calculation of the two-body and three-body correlation functions. The latter has been used to determine the pycnonuclear triple-alpha-fusion rate in the density regime 10[sup 8] g/cm[sup 3][le][rho][le]10[sup 10] g/cm[sup 3], which is of importance for the crust evolution of an accreting old neutron star. The influence of three-particle terms in the many-body wave function on the rate is estimated within an additional variational hypernetted chain calculation. Our results support the idea that the helium liquid undergoes a phase transition to stable [sup 8]Be matter at densities [rho][approx]3[times]10[sup 9] g/cm[sup 3] as the plasma induced screening potential then becomes strong enough to bind the [sup 8]Be ground state.
- OSTI ID:
- 5431136
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review, C (Nuclear Physics); (United States), Vol. 49:1; ISSN 0556-2813
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
HELIUM 4
WAVE FUNCTIONS
BERYLLIUM 8
CORRELATION FUNCTIONS
CORRELATIONS
HELIUM BURNING
MANY-BODY PROBLEM
PLASMA
QUANTUM FLUIDS
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BERYLLIUM ISOTOPES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FLUIDS
FUNCTIONS
HELIUM ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
NUCLEI
RADIOISOTOPES
SECONDS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
STABLE ISOTOPES
STAR BURNING
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