Nuclear reaction rate in Debye-Hueckel electrolytic plasma in stellar interiors

The transmission probability of charged particle reactions in a stellar plasma is examined by considering the effective potential between the interacting charges as having an exponential factor in the Coulomb term arising out of the spherical distribution of electrons with its uniform background of positive charges (Debye Huckel electrolyte). The expression for the ratio of this transmission probability to that due to pure Coulomb field, called the enhancement factor, is obtained. Thermonuclear reactions of astrophysical interest such as 12C(α,γ)16O and 16O(α,γ)20Ne are then considered. The enhancement factor in the 12C(α,γ)16O reaction rate is found to agree reasonably well with those calculated from the expression given by Alastuey and Jancovici. (auth.)