Measurements of 8B Solar Neutrinos – Results and Prospects from SNO and SuperKamiokande

Abstract

Measurements of 8 B solar neutrinos at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) and at SuperKamiokande (SK) result in a model independent proof that electron neutrinos born in the Sun undergo active flavor transformation. Large mixing angle, matter enhanced neutrino oscillations are responsible for this flavor transformation and the total flux of 8 B solar neutrinos measured is in agreement with standard solar model predictions. The long-standing solar neutrino problem is resolved. In this paper the salient results from measurements of 8 B solar neutrinos at SNO and SK are summarized, including recent analyses looking for potential temporal variations in the solar neutrino fluxes and a new limit on the hep solar neutrino flux. The field of solar neutrino physics has entered a new era of precision with measurements aimed at the elucidation of fundamental neutrino properties and our basic understanding of how the Sun shines. Future goals and prospects of the SNO and SK experiments are discussed.