High School How does the Gamow window change for different reactions?

[TheCelt]

I am learning about the gamow energy and saw a graph explaining the gamow peak - but i am not quite sure i understand the relationship about the overwall gamow window.

From what i think i understand so far for fusion if the gamow energy peak is greater the gamow window becomes smaller is this correct? Not quite sure what drives the width of the gamow window for something like proton-proton or the deuteron-proton reaction.Obviously one has a higher gamow peak but i am not sure what changes about the rest of the area under the curve.

 

[mfb]

How do you measure the width? Width over some threshold? Width at half the maximum? Something else?
If the required energy for the reaction is higher you get much lower reaction rates at equal temperature - but typically these reactions will happen at higher temperatures where the thermal spectrum is broader (doesn't change that much with smaller changes in the energy).

 

[TheCelt]

I don't know how its measured I just saw the graph looking like a bell curve around the peak. Nothing else was really said about what happens to the width at different peak levels. So i don't have much insight to give with regards to what width is measured with here, i was curious to know the relationship was between the peak and the drop off around it.

 

[mfb]

Wikipedia has formulas. You can plug in values and draw the function yourself for different parameters.

 

[TheCelt]

Well we don't learn these formulas at high school its beyond my understand to interpret by just pure math at this stage...