Quantumeffectsplayanenhancementroleinp-pchainreactionsoccurringwithinstars.Suchanenhancementisquantifiedbyawavepenetrationfactorthatisproportionaltothedensityoftheparticipatingfuelparticles.Thisleadstoaninnovativetheoryfordenseplasma,anditsresultshowsgoodagreementwithindependentdataderivedfromthesolarenergyoutput.AnanalysisofthefirstZ-pinchmachineinmankind’shistoryexhibitingneutronemissionleadstoaderiveddeuteriumplasmabeamdensitygreaterthanthatofwater,withplasmavelocitiesexceeding10000km/s.Fusionpowercouldbeachievedbytheintersectionoffoursuchpinchedplasmabeamswithpowerfulhead-oncollisionsintheircommonfocalregionduetothebeamandtargetenhancedreaction.