The vacuum-polarization (VP) corrections to rates for nuclear-fusion reactions in the pp chain and in the CNO cycle are calculated. For the reactions of particular importance to the solar-neutrino problem, the ${}_{}{}^3{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{He}$${(}^3$He,2p${)}^4$He, ${}_{}{}^3{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{He}$(α,γ${)}^7$Be, ${}_{}{}^7{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Be}$(p,γ${)}^8$B, and ${}_{}{}^{14}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{N}$(p,γ${)}^{15}$O reactions, we find the magnitude of the effect to be less than 2%. The effect of VP on all the other reaction rates is expected to be of a similar order of magnitude. We discuss how these results affect the predicted fluxes of solar neutrinos.

• Received 25 June 1993

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.49.545