High School Phys.org - Carbon creation finding set to rock astrophysics

[Astronuc]

TL;DR

Scientists found that carbon—the building block of life—is produced 34 percent faster than previously thought.

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-carbon-creation-astrophysics.html

Physicists at the Australian National University and the University of Oslo reproduced how stars make carbon through a fleeting partnership of helium atoms known as the Hoyle state in two separate measurements. They found that carbon—the building block of life—is produced 34 percent faster than previously thought.

Back in 2016 - Recent results in nuclear astrophysics
https://arxiv.org/abs/1605.07810

From the abstract -

New evaluation of thermonuclear reaction rates now includes the associated rate uncertainties that are used in astrophysical models to i) estimate final uncertainties on nucleosynthesis yields and ii) identify those reactions that require further experimental investigation. Sometimes direct cross section measurements are possible, but more generally the use of indirect methods is compulsory in view of the very low cross sections. Non-thermal processes are often overlooked but are also important for nuclear astrophysics, e.g. in gamma-ray emission from solar flares or in the interaction of cosmic rays with matter, and also motivate laboratory experiments. Finally, we show that beyond the historical motivations of nuclear astrophysics, understanding i) the energy sources that drive stellar evolution and ii) the origin of the elements can also be used to give new insights into physics beyond the standard model.

 

[Keith_McClary]

"Nobody had looked at this particular measurement since 1976. Everyone assumed it was well known."