Published August 15, 1994 | Version v1
Journal article

On solar model solutions to the solar neutrino problem

  • 1. The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637-1433 (United States)
  • 2. NASA/Fermilab Astrophysics Center, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Box 500, Batavia, Illinois 60510-500 (United States)
  • 3. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States)

Description

Without assuming any solar neutrino spectra but merely assuming pure νe emissions from the Sun, neutrinos seen by the Kamiokande experiment should produce at least 2.6±0.45 SNU in the lower threshold Homestake experiment. This rate is compared with the total event rate of 2.55±0.25 SNU observed by the Homestake experiment which solar models tell us should measure not only 8B neutrinos seen by the Kamiokande but also uncertainty-free pep neutrinos (which contribute 0.2 SNU) as well as 7Be neutrinos whose energies are below the Kamiokande threshold. This comparison may imply that 7Be neutrinos are more severely suppressed than the 8B neutrinos with respect to the predictions of standard solar models, which cannot be explained by any known astrophysics solution. (In particular, this argument is independent of uncertainties in solar nuclear reaction rates.) It is also noted that the lower limit that the Kamiokande observations set on the 8B neutrino flux restricts variations of standard solar models to require minimal rates of 3.6 SNU for the Homestake experiment and 114 SNU for GALLEX and SAGE to achieve consistency (and still fit helioseismic data). Therefore, variations of standard solar models as solutions to the solar neutrino problem are inconsistent with the Homestake experiment and only marginally allowed by the gallium experiments. If the gallium experiments eventually confirm a flux significantly below 114 SNU, it would seem to imply new neutrino physics

Additional details

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Physical Review. D, Particles Fields
Journal Volume
50
Journal Issue
4
Journal Page Range
p. 2414-2420.
ISSN
0556-2821
CODEN
PRVDAQ