Effect of Screening on Thermonuclear Fusion in Stellar and Laboratory Plasmas

The fusion-enhancement factor due to screening in the solar plasma is calculated. We use the finite-temperature Green's function method, and a self-consistent mean field approximation. We reduce this to one-center problems, because in the collision of two fusing ions, the turning point where tunneling may occur lies far inside the screening radius. The numerical results given by this method indicate that screening may be slightly weaker than that obtained in the most recent previous calculations. (c) (c) 2000. The American Astronomical Society.