Effective-Range Corrections to the Proton-Proton Fusion Rate

Proton-proton fusion is considered in the effective field theory of Kaplan, Savage and Wise. Coulomb effects are included systematically in a non-perturbative way. Including the dimension-eight derivative coupling which determines the effective ranges of the scattering amplitudes, next-to-leading order corrections to the fusion rate are calculated. When the renormalization mass is well above the characteristic energies of the system, this contribution gives a rate which is eight percent below the standard value. The difference can be due to an unknown counterterm which comes in at this order.