Electronic and Ionic Screening For Low-Energy Nuclear Reactions In Condensed Matter

Abstract

Screening for nuclear reactions plays an important role in enhancing reaction cross sections at low energy region. In the present work, results so far obtained in experiments of the D+D reactions in metal environment is overviewed and the origin of the screening potential is discussed; i.e., electronic and ionic screening. For the ionic screening we have performed Li+p,d reactions in liquid Li metal which can be regarded as a low‐temperature dense plasma. In such a condition, the classical ions contribute to the screening more strongly than the quantum electrons do. The effects of the solid‐liquid phase transition are clearly seen in these reactions. It can be concluded that the ionic Debye screening is much stronger than the electronic screening in a low‐temperature dense plasmas.