Recent results on the {sup 12}C+{sup 12}C reactions

The set of fusion reactions {sup 12}C+{sup 12}C play a critical role in several astrophysical processes. In a recent experiment, the fusion reactions {sup 12}C+{sup 12}C have been studied at E{sub CM} = 2.10 to 4.75 MeV by {gamma}-ray spectroscopy using a C target of ultra-low hydrogen contamination. The deduced astrophysical S-tilde(E) factor exhibits previously unknown resonances at E{<=}3.0 MeV, in particular a strong and narrow resonance at E = 2.14 MeV, the high-energy tail of the Gamow peak. Current extrapolations of the reaction rate, which assume that the astrophysical S-tilde(E) factor varies smoothly with energy within the Gamow window, are thus subject to significant uncertainty.