Speaker
Description
The $^{12}$C+$^{12}$C fusion reaction plays a pivotal role in the process of stellar evolution. Despite six decades of studies, there is still a large uncertainty in the reaction rate which limits our understanding of various stellar objects, such as massive stars, type Ia supernovae, and superbursts. In this talk, I will review the experimental and theoretical studies of the carbon fusion reaction at sub-barrier energies. I will also present the preliminary results from the direct measurement of the $^{12}$C($^{12}$C,α$_{0}$)$^{20}$Ne reaction, obtained by the CARFUSE (CARbon FUsion study at Stellar Energies) collaboration, using a novel detection system consisting of Time Project Chamber and silicon array and the intense carbon beam provided by the Low Energy high-intensity heavy-ion Accelerator Facility (LEAF) at IMP. An outlook for future studies is also presented.
