Study of the fusion reaction 12C + 12C at low beam energy

In this article we discuss two aspects related to the 12C + 12C fusion reaction at low energies for carbon burning in supermassive stars. First we present plausible arguments for the notion that the observed resonance structures at the lowest measured energies arise from the relatively large spacing and narrow width of 24Mg compound levels at the corresponding excitation energy region. We thus point out that the Incoming Wave Boundary Condition is inappropriate for calculating the fusion cross section under these situations. Secondly, we report on a particle-γ coincidence technique that has been used for the first time to measure the fusion cross section in the system 12C + 12C at low beam energies. Based on these results, it should be possible to measure this important fusion cross section down to the 10 pb level within a reasonable length of time.