Three-body calculations of the triple-α reaction

Recently, the triple-alpha (3 alpha) process, by which three He-4 nuclei are fused into a C-12 nucleus in stars, was studied by using different methods to solve the quantum mechanical three-body problem. The results for the thermonuclear reaction rate for the process differ by several orders at low stellar temperatures of 10(7)-10(8) K. In this paper, we will present calculations of the 3 alpha process by using a modified Faddeev three-body formalism in which the long-range effects of Coulomb interactions are accommodated. The reaction rate of the process is calculated via an inverse process: three-alpha (3-alpha) photodisintegration of a C-12 nucleus. The calculated reaction rate is about 10 times larger than that of the Nuclear Astrophysics Compilation of Reaction Rates at 10(7) K and is notably smaller than the results of recent three-body calculations. We will discuss a possible reason for the difference.