The Coulomb Dissociation of 8 B and the 7 Be(p, γ) 8 B Reaction

Abstract

Our current understanding of stellar evolution allows the use of stars as a labo-bratory for tests of fundamental physics. In particular the sun is well known to be the major contributer to the ambient neutrino flux on earth. Its large distance from the earth and the high density of the core allow for a window in the search for neutrino masses and oscilations with Δm 2 < 10−5 eV 2 1. This mass range is not accesible to either accelerator experiments or atmospheric neutrino studies and thus is of fundamental importance. In such a study one compares the predicted neutrino flux with the observed one and hence it relies on our understanding of the sun vis-a-vis the Standard Solar Model (SSM) 1 and most critically on our knowledge of the nuclear inputs to the SSM in the form of nuclear reaction rates. Indeed the question of evidence for neutrino oscilations and the possible deficit in observed neutrino flux is of current interest to the physics community as a whole vis-a-vis its consequences to the Standard Model of Particle Physics and it reaches far beyond the scope of Nuclear Astrophysics.