Energy generation mechanisms in stellar interiors

Abstract

It is well known that in the calculation of thermonuclear reaction rates in dense and cool plasma, the screening effects must be taken into account. The internal structure and evolution of stars can be obtained with the calculations of equation of state of gas structure, opacity and thermonuclear reaction rates. For high density it is necessary to calculate the equation of state by inserting deviations from ideal gas under high density and temprature. For low mass high density stars the effect of degenerate non-ideal interactions must be taken into account in equation of state. The rate of fusion nuclear reactions in stellar matter is important for the evolution of the star. In dense ionized matter, the rate of nuclear reactions is enhanced by screening effects (Alastuey and Jancovici 1978). One measure of nonideality in plasmas is the so-called coupling parameter . In a plasma where particles have average distance r   from each other, we can define  as the ratio of average potential binding energy over mean kinetic energy kT,