Astrophysical radiative capture reaction rates in light nuclei: a review of results from the modified potential cluster model

Authors

• S. B. Dubovichenko, META University
• B. M. Yeleusheva, META University
• A. S. Tkachenko, META University
• R. Ya. Kezerashvili, CUNY New York City College of TechnologyFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-29-2026

Abstract

A review of results obtained within a single theoretical framework—the Modified Potential Cluster Model (MPCM)—is presented for astrophysical radiative capture reactions involving the lightest and 1p-shell nuclei. The approach has been applied to reactions relevant to the r-process, the CNO and HCNO cycles, and parts of the Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) and post-BBN scenarios. The model incorporates the classification of orbital states according to Young’s diagrams and has been successfully applied to describe the available experimental data on the total cross sections of the radiative capture of neutrons, protons, and the lightest clusters by 40 light nuclei at astrophysical energies. Based on theoretical cross sections consistent with available experimental data, the reaction rates for these capture processes have been calculated in the temperature range 0.01≤T9≤10, and analytical parameterizations of these rates have been obtained. Reaction rates for neutron capture on 16 light nuclei—²H, ⁶⁻⁸Li, ^9,10Be, ^10–13B, ^12-14С, ^14,15N, and ¹⁶O—are presented. In addition, reaction rates and their parameterizations for proton and lightest-cluster capture by 24 light nuclei—p²H, p³H, p⁶⁻⁸Li, p^7,9Be, p^10,11B, p^11-14C, p^12-15N, p¹⁶O, ³H²H, ³He²H, ³H³He, ²H⁴He, ³He⁴He, and ³H⁴He—obtained in our previous studies are also presented.

Comments

This article was originally published in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, available at https://doi.org/10.3389/fspas.2026.1905371

This work is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).