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From: ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac)
Newsgroups: net.origins
Subject: Re: Sci. Case Creat. 29 (solar neutrinos)
Message-ID: <326@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 9-Jul-85 20:28:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: utastro.326
Posted: Tue Jul  9 20:28:12 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 13-Jul-85 11:28:12 EDT
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Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX
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>
>   b) Solar physicists are busily working to find out why their model
>      is wrong.  However, the predicted neutrino rate is very sensitive
>      to the value of certain parameters in the model.  A small adjust-
>      ment of these parameters yields the observed value of the neutrino
>      rate.  This adjustment does NOT contradict the basic fact of
>      solar fusion.

One more point, the solar neutrino experiment measures the flux of high
energy neutrinos.  These neutrinos are *not* produced in the fusion of
hydrogen into helium, but rather in a single, energetically unfavorable,
reaction involving a chain of reactions that result from adding protons
onto helium.  As a result there is a simple way to modify the standard
model to eliminate these neutrinos.  *Any* mechanism which flattens the
temperature profile in the sun's core will do.  A more conclusive test
would be to look for lower energy neutrinos produced during the p-p
chain.  These neutrinos are the inevitable result of fusion.  The
experiment is possible, but expensive.  It will be done eventually.
If the shortfall persists there will be just two possible explanations.
First, the sun doesn't steadily produce, through nuclear fusion, as
much energy as it puts out.  Second, neutrinos have mass and the 
"electron" neutrino is not a fundamental particle but a coherent superposition
of neutrinos of different masses.  The second possibility *might* be
testable in the laboratory.

-- 

"Don't argue with a fool.      Ethan Vishniac
 Borrow his money."            {charm,ut-sally,ut-ngp,noao}!utastro!ethan
                               Department of Astronomy
                               University of Texas