Implications of Solar Neutrino Experiments

All four solar neutrino experiments observe a deficit of solar neutrinos compared to the predictions of the standard solar model. More significant, any two of the three classes of experiments indicate that the largest suppression is in the middle of the spectrum (the Be-7 line and the lower energy part of the B-8 spectrum). Astrophysical and nuclear physical explanations generally predict that the largest suppression should be of the B-8 neutrinos (since they are made after and from Be-7) and that the B-8 spectrum is not significantly distorted. Thus, unless most of the experiments are wrong or exhibit very large statistical fluctuations, a solution based on neutrino properties, such as MSW matter-enhanced conversions or vacuum oscillations is favored. The next generation should be able to confirm or falsify these ideas, essentially free of astrophysical uncertainties. With or without new neutrino properties, the solar neutrinos are and will be an important probe of the core of the sun.

• Neutrino Oscillation Workshop 2000: Conference Summary, P. Langacker, UPR-0923T, Otranto, Italy, September 2000. postscript: hep-ph/0101244, HTML,, transparencies.
• Transparencies from Neutrino Physics: From 10^-33 to 10⁺²⁸ cm, Pheno 99 Symposium, Madison, 4/14/99
• Review: Implications of Solar and Atmospheric Neutrinos, P. Langacker, UPR-0824T. To be published in the Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics (NEUTRINO 98), Takayama, Japan, June 1998. hep-ph/9811460.
• A Mechanism for Ordinary-Sterile Neutrino Mixing, P. Langacker, Phys. Rev. D58, 093017 (1998). hep-ph/9805281.
• Neutrino Anti-neutrino Transitions (P. Langacker and J. Wang), Phys. Rev. D58, 093004 (1998). hep-ph/9802383.
• Solutions to the Solar Neutrino Anomaly, Spring 1997, N. Hata and P. Langacker, Phys. Rev. D56, 6107 (1997). hep-ph/9705339.
• Current fits
• Standard Solar Model Predictions
• Current data and comparison with standard solar model predictions
• Astrophysical/nuclear physics explanations
• MSW interpretation
• Vacuum oscillation solutions for each observation (postscript, 19K) and combined observations (postscript, 28K) .
• Predictions for future experiments: spectrum distortions for SNO (postscript, 12K) and Super-K (postscript, 12K) ; day-night effect for SNO (postscript, 177K) and Super-K (postscript, 177K) .
• Future model independent determinations of solar neutrino spectrum without MSW (postscript, 213K) ; with MSW by SNO and BOREXINO data (postscript, 212K) and by SNO, BOREXINO, and Super-K data (postscript, 149K) ; simultaneous constraint on Tc and B flux (postscript, 94K) with MSW.
• Implications: big picture (postscript, 54K)
• References
• Recent Penn and OSU papers
• Recent review of solar neutrinos: Solar Neutrinos, by P. Langacker,
  from 32nd International School of Subnuclear Physics, , Erice, 6/94.
  (33 pages with 15 embedded figures, 11/18/94) postscript file, or indexed html file
• Recent review of neutrino mass: Implications of Neutrino Mass, by P. Langacker,
  from Pascos/Hopkins-95, , Baltimore, 3/95.
  (16 pages with 2 embedded figures, 7/95) postscript file, or indexed html file
• Report of DPF Long Range Planning Study: Neutrino Mass Working Group, files
• Home pages for GALLEX , MPI-Heidelberg GALLEX; BOREXINO ; Gran Sasso ; SAGE, Baksan; SNO ; Superkamiokande, US Super-K, Kamioka mine, Irvine Super-K; Kamiokande; Karmen.
• The Neutrino Oscillation Industry page
• The Penn Physics Department Home Document
• Use of figures