Strong screening by lattice confinement and resultant fusion reaction rates in fcc metals

The effects of electronic screening on the cross sections and reactivities for the nuclear reactions between light nuclei in Pd and Ni is studied. We consider the applicability of the theory of thermonuclear burning in stars to the D-D nuclear reaction in metals. The screening model based on the mean field potential of the electron cloud in the metal plasma is used. We discuss the specifics of the screening for the H (D) atoms embedded in vacancies and divacancies. High concentration of hydrogen isotopes segregated to monovacancies and divacancies in face-centered cubic (fcc) metals such as Ni and Pd with densities of ∼6×1023atom/cm3, makes the hydrogen cluster a favorable active site for the fusion reaction. Still the observation of a nuclear reaction requires an accumulation of energy in D nuclei of at least several eV, which is far above what can be achieved in the thermal heating experiments.