Enhancement of the 3 ^{4}He -> ^{12}C Reaction Rate by Inelastic Proton Scattering

The reaction 12C(p, p')12C*(7.65) has been studied in the energy range just above threshold. The measured total cross-section has been used to calculate the enhancement of the 3 4He 12C reaction rate by inelastic proton scattering. A resonance was found in the cross-section corresponding to a stellar temperature of about 2 X 10 K. The enhancement of the 3 4He H 12C reaction rate is found to be significant in certain high-density, high- temperature stellar environments.