Spectroscopy of Solar Neutrinos

Abstract

In the last years, liquid-scintillator detectors have opened a new window for the observation of low-energetic astrophysical neutrino sources. In 2007, the solar neutrino experiment Borexino began its data-taking in the Gran Sasso underground laboratory. High energy resolution and excellent radioactive background conditions in the detector allow the first-time spectroscopic measurement of solar neutrinos in the sub-MeV energy regime. The experimental results of the Beryllium-7 neutrino flux measurements as well as the prospects for the detection of solar Boron-8, pep and CNO neutrinos are presented in the context of the currently discussed ambiguities in solar metallicity. In addition, the potential of the future SNO+ and LENA experiments for high-precision solar neutrino spectroscopy will be outlined.

6 pages, 5 figures, highlight talk at the annual fall meeting of the German Astronomische Gesellschaft in Potsdam (Sep 2009)

References in corpus (7)

• Measurement of the solar neutrino capture rate with gallium metal. III: Results for the 2002--2007 data-taking period
• New results on solar neutrino fluxes from 192 days of Borexino data
• The Borexino detector at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso
• Independent Measurement of the Total Active 8B Solar Neutrino Flux Using an Array of 3He Proportional Counters at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
• First real time detection of Be7 solar neutrinos by Borexino
• Solar abundances and helioseismology: fine structure spacings and separation ratios of low-degree p modes
• Detection potential for the diffuse supernova neutrino background in the large liquid-scintillator detector LENA