Termination of The Proton-Proton Chain in Stellar Interiors*

The roles of the various H²-burning and He³-burning reactions in the termination of the proton-proton chain in stellar interiors have been re-examined using (1) recent experimental determinations of the cross-sections for the H²(p, γ)He³ and He³(α, γ)Be⁷ reactions, (2) theoretical studies of the rates of the relevant beta-decay reactions, and (3) a re-examination of the previous cross-section factor determinations for the other possible reactions in the proton-proton chain.