arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M. Lissia.
We present a quantitative estimate of the accuracy of the calculated diffusion coefficients, by comparing predictions of solar models with observational data provided by helioseismology. By taking into account the major uncertainties in building solar models we conclude that helioseismology confirms the diffusion efficiency adopted in SSM calculations, to the 10% level.
Density and temperature conditions in the solar core suggest that the microscopic diffusion of electrons and ions could be nonstandard: Diffusion and friction coefficients are energy dependent, collisions are not two-body processes and retain memory beyond the single scattering event. A direct consequence of nonstandard diffusion is that the equilibrium energy distribution of particles departs from the Maxwellian one (tails goes to zero more slowly or faster than exponentially) modifying the reaction rates. This effect is qualitatively different from temperature and/or composition modification: Small changes in the number of particles in the distribution tails can strongly modify the rates without affecting bulk properties, such as the sound speed or hydrostatic equilibrium, which depend on the mean values from the distribution. This mechanism can considerably increase the range of predictions for the neutrino fluxes allowed by the current experimental values (cross sections and solar properties) and can be used to reduce the discrepancy between these predictions and the solar neutrino experiments.
Nuclear reactions in stars occur between nuclei in the high-energy tail of the energy distribution and are sensitive to possible deviations from the standard equilibrium thermal-energy distribution. We are able to derive strong constraints on such deviations by using the detailed helioseismic information of the solar structure. If a small deviation is parameterized with a factor exp{-delta*(E/kT)^2}, we find that delta should lie between -0.005 and +0.002. However, even values of delta as small as 0.003 would still give important effects on the neutrino fluxes.
After a short survey of the physics of solar neutrinos, giving an overview of hydrogen burning reactions, predictions of standard solar models and results of solar neutrino experiments, we discuss the solar-model-independent indications in favour of non-standard neutrino properties. The experimental results look to be in contradiction with each other, even disregarding some experiment: unless electron neutrinos disappear in their trip from the sun to the earth, the fluxes of intermediate energy neutrinos (those from 7Be electron capture and from the CNO cycle) result to be unphysically negative, or anyway extremely reduced with respect to standard solar model predictions. Next we review extensively non-standard solar models built as attempts to solve the solar neutrino puzzle. The dependence of the central solar temperature on chemical composition, opacity, age and on the values of the astrophysical S-factors for hydrogen-burning reactions is carefully investigated. Also, possible modifications of the branching among the various pp-chains in view of nuclear physics uncertainties are examined. Assuming standard neutrinos, all solar models examined fail in reconciling theory with experiments, even when the physical and chemical inputs are radically changed with respect to present knowledge and even if some of the experimental results are discarded.
Experimental determinations of the pp and pep fluxes have great potentialities. We briefly review the reasons that make such measurements privileged tests of neutrino properties. We discuss the predictions for these fluxes given by four good solutions to the solar neutrino problem: small- and large-angle MSW and Just-So oscillations into active neutrinos, and small-angle MSW oscillations into sterile neutrinos. In addition, we examine the impact of the planned Hellaz detector, which should measure separately the nu_e and nu_mu fluxes in the pp energy window and the signal from the pep neutrinos, for distinguishing among the different solutions and for determining the solar central temperature.
We extract information on the fluxes of Be and CNO neutrinos directly from solar neutrino experiments, with minimal assumptions about solar models. Next we compare these results with solar models, both standard and non standard ones. Finally we discuss the expectations for Borexino, both in the case of standard and non standard neutrinos.
We discuss what appears the last hope for an astrophysical solution to the solar neutrino problem: a correlated variation of the astrophysical factors for the helium burning cross sections ($S_{33}$ and $S_{34}$) and either $S_{17}$ or the central temperature $T_c$. In this context, we recognize the important role played by the CNO neutrinos. In fact, we can obtain a fair fit to the experimental data only if three conditions are met simultaneously: the astrophysical factor $S_{33}$ is about 200 times what is presently estimated, the astrophysical factor $S_{17}$ is about 3 times larger and the $^{13}$N and $^{15}$O neutrino fluxes are negligible compared to the ones predicted by standard solar models. These conditions are not supported by the present data and their correlated combination is improbable.
We find that vacuum oscillations (VO), large-mixing-angle and small-mixing-angle MSW solutions to the solar neutrino problem (SNP) give all very good fits to the most recent results. Measurements of the $^7$Be flux can, in some cases, discriminate between different solutions to the SNP; in particular, VO allow $^7$Be fluxes almost as large as the one predicted by the SSM. We find that no evidence for seasonal variations can be extracted from present data, but that the large statistics of SuperKamiokande should make possible to study a significant portion of the presently allowed parameter space by just looking for seasonal variations. We also discuss the Borexino potential for detecting seasonal variations, which looks really impressive.
We show that present experiments imply that neutrinos are nonstandard at the 87\% C.L., independently of solar or nuclear physics. Moreover, if neutrinos are standard, the $^7$Be flux must be almost zero. Even if we arbitrarily disregard one of the experiments, the neutrino flux must still be less than half of the value predicted by standard solar models.
We generalize the concept of dimensional reduction to operators involving fermion fields in high temperature field theories. It is found that the ultraviolet behavior of the running coupling constant plays a crucial role. The general concept is illustrated explicitly in the Gross-Neveu model.
Within the framework of the operator product expansion (OPE) and the renormalization group equation (RGE), we show that the temperature and chemical potential dependence of the zeroth moment of a spectral function (SF) in an asymptotically free theory is completely determined by the one-loop structure of the theory. This exact result constrains the qualitative shape of SF's, and implies striking phenomenological effects near phase transitions.
The difficulties for non-standard solar models (NSSM) in resolving the solar neutrino problem are discussed stressing the incompatibility of the gallium--Kamiokande data, and of the gallium--chlorine data. We conclude that NSSM's cannot explain simultaneously the results of any two of the solar neutrino data (chlorine, Kamiokande and gallium). We address further the question whether the MSW solution exists for NSSM's (e.g. models with $^8$B neutrino flux much lower than the standard one and/or central temperature $T_c$ very different from $T_c^{\text{SSM}}$). We demonstrate that the MSW solution exists and is very stable relative to changes of $S_{17}$ ($S$-factor for $p$ + $^7$Be reaction) and $T_c$. In particular, $Δm^2$ is almost constant while $\sin^2 2θ$ depends on the exact values of $S_{17}$ (or $^8$B-neutrino flux) and $T_c$.