what temperature is needed to fuse helium into carbon
When the temperature in the core reaches about 100 million degrees, the helium will begin to fuse into carbon by a reaction known as the triple-alpha process, because it converts three helium nuclei into one carbon atom.This generates a great deal of heat.n heavier stars, the oxygen can in turn fuse with the helium to make neon.) Helium fusion produces only 9% as much energy per kilogram as hydrogen fusion, so energy-wise, the Sun continues to be mainly a hydrogen reactor. 90% of its luminosity still comes from burning hydrogen.