ABSTRACT
The rate of the proton-proton reaction has been recalculated. Our value for the low-energy cross-section factor is S(E = 0) = (3.78 ± 0.15) × 10−25 Me V barns, which is 12.5 per cent larger than the value in current usage. The effect of our larger calculated S(E = 0) on the 8B solar neutrino flux and on the rate of nuclear-energy generation in the proton-proton chain is briefly discussed.
