Pycnonuclear reaction and possible chain reactions in an ultra-dense DT plasma

In ultra dense matter, fusion reactions might be observable even at zero temperature. We show that these so-called “pycnonuclear reactions” can be appreciable in the laboratory, and that explosive fusion chain-reactions are possible. Moreover, we predict the possibility of fission-like chain reactions. We assess the enhancement due to electron screening and consider the local field correction as well as relativistic effects.