Dynamic screening correction for solar p-p reaction rates

Abstract

The solar abundance controversy inspires renewed investigations of the basic physics used to develop solar models. Here we examine the correction to the proton-proton reaction rate due to dynamic screening effects. Starting with the dynamic screening energy from the molecular-dynamics simulations of Mao et al., we compute a reaction-rate correction for dynamic screening. We find that, contrary to static screening theory, this dynamic screening does not significantly change the reaction rate from that of the bare Coulomb potential.