Diffraction of solar neutrinos at the Earth's solid core

Abstract

BackgroundThis paper presents a gedankenexperiment or “thought experiment” on the solar neutrino beam in regard to a diffraction study of the Earth's core.Materials and MethodsThe Sun is the source of the most intense neutrino radiation on Earth. Owing to the Sun's long distance from the Earth it forms a parallel beam of white radiation as well as discrete lines. The coherent scattering of these neutrinos at the Earth's solid core produces a diffraction pattern on the Earth's night side.ResultsI will show that this diffraction pattern will be most likely observable on the Earth's surface by using a detector configuration that is located between the tropics. There has not been any neutrino detector that is located on the Earth's surface and suitable for these measurements.ConclusionAn investigation of the diffraction pattern of the solar neutrino beam would provide a tool for studying not only the Earth's center but also the neutrinos themselves.