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Nuclear physics

Close encounters of the alpha kind

Nature volume 528, pages 42–43 (2015)Cite this article

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Breakthrough calculations of collisions between two helium nuclei pave the way to a quantitative understanding of how the elements carbon and oxygen were made in stars — and to improved models of stellar evolution. See Letter p.111

The life-enabling elements carbon and oxygen were mainly made in red giant and supergiant stars, through a sequence of fusion reactions known as helium burning. In this process, helium nuclei (4He) — aggregates of two protons and two neutrons, named alpha particles by Ernest Rutherford1 — are progressively converted into carbon and oxygen nuclei (12C and 16O, respectively). But exactly how each of these reactions happens at a fundamental level remains unexplained. On page 111 of this issue, Elhatisari et al.2 take a crucial step towards addressing this question by describing the collision of two alpha particles (alpha–alpha scattering) from first principles. The theoretical–computational methods described in this work could also be used to characterize collisions between certain other composite quantum particles.

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Figure 1: Formation of carbon and oxygen nuclei.

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  1. Sofia Quaglioni is in the Nuclear and Chemical Sciences Division, Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94551-0808, USA.,

    Sofia Quaglioni

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  1. Sofia Quaglioni
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Correspondence to Sofia Quaglioni.

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Quaglioni, S. Close encounters of the alpha kind. Nature 528, 42–43 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/528042a

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