- Accepted Paper
Bayesian analysis of proton-proton fusion in chiral effective field theory
Phys. Rev. C - Accepted 19 October, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/c92w-4s4k
Phys. Rev. C - Accepted 19 October, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/c92w-4s4k
The astrophysical -factor for the proton-proton fusion is calculated in the low-energy regime for a variety of nuclear interactions and consistent nuclear currents, derived within chiral effective field theory. We estimate, for the first time, the theoretical uncertainty on the -factor due to the truncation of the chiral expansion of the currents using a Bayesian analysis. In order to reach an accuracy at the percent level in the calculation, the electromagnetic potential includes contributions beyond the leading Coulomb interaction, such as two-photon exchange and vacuum polarization. The initial proton-proton state is expanded in partial waves and only the contribution is included, as it is known that the other partial-waves effects are negligible. The low-energy constant entering the contact term in the weak axial current operator is calibrated to reproduce the Gamow-Teller matrix element in Tritium -decay. The value is found to be .
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