Luminosity Constraint Research Articles

Status of direct determination of solar neutrino fluxes after Borexino

We determine the solar neutrino fluxes from the global analysis of the most up-to-date terrestrial and solar neutrino data including the final results of the three phases of Borexino. The analysis are performed in the framework of three-neutrino mixing with and without accounting for the solar luminosity constraint. We discuss the independence of the results on the input from the Gallium experiments. The determined fluxes are then compared with the predictions provided by the latest Standard Solar Models. We quantify the dependence of the model comparison with the assumptions about the normalization of the solar neutrino fluxes produced in the CNO-cycle as well as on the particular set of fluxes employed for the model testing.

Potential for a precision measurement of solar pp neutrinos in the Serappis experiment

The Serappis (SEarch for RAre PP-neutrinos In Scintillator) project aims at a precision measurement of the flux of solar pp neutrinos on the few-percent level. Such a measurement will be a relevant contribution to the study of solar neutrino oscillation parameters and a sensitive test of the equilibrium between solar energy output in neutrinos and electromagnetic radiation (solar luminosity constraint). The concept of Serappis relies on a small organic liquid scintillator detector (sim 20 m^3) with excellent energy resolution (sim 2.5% at 1 MeV), low internal background and sufficient shielding from surrounding radioactivity. This can be achieved by a minor upgrade of the OSIRIS facility at the site of the JUNO neutrino experiment in southern China. To go substantially beyond current accuracy levels for the pp flux, an organic scintillator with ultra-low {^{14}hbox {C}} levels (below 10^{-18}) is required. The existing OSIRIS detector and JUNO infrastructure will be instrumental in identifying suitable scintillator materials, offering a unique chance for a low-budget high-precision measurement of a fundamental property of our Sun that will be otherwise hard to access.

The luminosity constraint in the era of precision solar physics

The luminosity constraint is a very precise relationship linking the power released by the Sun as photons and the solar neutrino fluxes. Such a relation, which is a direct consequence of the physical processes controlling the production and the transport of energy in the solar interior, is of great importance for the studies of solar neutrinos and has a special role for the search of neutrinos from the CNO cycle, whose first detection with a 5σ significance has been recently announced by the Borexino collaboration. Here we revise the luminosity constraint, discussing and validating its underlying hypotheses, in the light of latest solar neutrino and luminosity measurements. We generalize the current formulation of the luminosity constraint relation so that it can be easily used in future analysis of solar neutrino data, and we provide a specific application showing the link between CNO and pp neutrino fluxes.

Solar Models with Dynamic Screening and Early Mass Loss Tested by Helioseismic, Astrophysical, and Planetary Constraints

The faint young Sun paradox remains an open question. Presented here is one possible solution to this apparent inconsistency, a more massive early Sun. Based on conditions on early Earth and Mars, a luminosity constraint is set as a function of mass. We examine helioseismic constraints of these alternative mass-losing models. Additionally, we explore a dynamic electron screening correction in an effort to improve helioseismic agreement in the core of the an early mass-losing model.

Uranus evolution models with simple thermal boundary layers

The strikingly low luminosity of Uranus (Teff ≃ Teq) constitutes a long-standing challenge to our understanding of Ice Giant planets. Here we present the first Uranus structure and evolution models that are constructed to agree with both the observed low luminosity and the gravity field data. Our models make use of modern ab initio equations of state at high pressures for the icy components water, methane, and ammonia. Proceeding step by step, we confirm that adiabatic models yield cooling times that are too long, even when uncertainties in the ice:rock ratio (I:R) are taken into account. We then argue that the transition between the ice/rock-rich interior and the H/He-rich outer envelope should be stably stratified. Therefore, we introduce a simple thermal boundary and adjust it to reproduce the low luminosity. Due to this thermal boundary, the deep interior of the Uranus models are up to 2–3 warmer than adiabatic models, necessitating the presence of rocks in the deep interior with a possible I:R of 1 × solar. Finally, we allow for an equilibrium evolution (Teff ≃ Teq) that begun prior to the present day, which would therefore no longer require the current era to be a ”special time” in Uranus’ evolution. In this scenario, the thermal boundary leads to more rapid cooling of the outer envelope. When Teff ≃ Teq is reached, a shallow, subadiabatic zone in the atmosphere begins to develop. Its depth is adjusted to meet the luminosity constraint. This work provides a simple foundation for future Ice Giant structure and evolution models, that can be improved by properly treating the heat and particle fluxes in the diffusive zones.

Velocity amplitudes in global convection simulations: The role of the Prandtl number and near-surface driving

Several lines of evidence suggest that the velocity amplitude in global simulations of solar convection, U, may be systematically over-estimated. Motivated by these recent results, we explore the factors that determine U and we consider how these might scale to solar parameter regimes. To this end, we decrease the thermal diffusivity κ along two paths in parameter space. If the kinematic viscosity ν is decreased proportionally with κ (fixing the Prandtl number Pr=ν/κ), we find that U increases but asymptotes toward a constant value, as found by Featherstone and Hindman (2016). However, if ν is held fixed while decreasing κ (increasing Pr), we find that U systematically decreases. We attribute this to an enhancement of the thermal content of downflow plumes, which allows them to carry the solar luminosity with slower flow speeds. We contrast this with the case of Rayleigh–Bénard convection which is not subject to this luminosity constraint. This dramatic difference in behavior for the two paths in parameter space (fixed Pr or fixed ν) persists whether the heat transport by unresolved, near-surface convection is modeled as a thermal conduction or as a fixed flux. The results suggest that if solar convection can operate in a high-Pr regime, then this might effectively limit the velocity amplitude. Small-scale magnetism is a possible source of enhanced viscosity that may serve to achieve this high-Pr regime.

Updated determination of the solar neutrino fluxes from solar neutrino data

We present an update of the determination of the solar neutrino fluxes from a global analysis of the solar and terrestrial neutrino data in the framework of three-neutrino mixing. Using a Bayesian analysis we reconstruct the posterior probability distribution function for the eight normalization parameters of the solar neutrino fluxes plus the relevant masses and mixing, with and without imposing the luminosity constraint. We then use these results to compare the description provided by different Standard Solar Models. Our results show that, at present, both models with low and high metallicity can describe the data with equivalent statistical agreement. We also argue that even with the present experimental precision the solar neutrino data have the potential to improve the accuracy of the solar model predictions.

An exploration of double diffusive convection in Jupiter as a result of hydrogen–helium phase separation

Jupiter's atmosphere has been observed to be depleted in helium (Yatm ∼ 0.24), suggesting active helium sedimentation in the interior. This is accounted for in standard Jupiter structure and evolution models through the assumption of an outer, He-depleted envelope that is separated from the He-enriched deep interior by a sharp boundary. Here we aim to develop a model for Jupiter's inhomogeneous thermal evolution that relies on a more self-consistent description of the internal profiles of He abundance, temperature, and heat flux. We make use of recent numerical simulations on H/He demixing, and on layered double diffusive (LDD) and oscillatory double diffusive (ODD) convection, and assume an idealized planet model composed of an H/He envelope and a massive core. A general framework for the construction of interior models with He rain is described. Despite, or perhaps because of, our simplifications made we find that self-consistent models are rare. For instance, no model for ODD convection is found. We modify the H/He phase diagram of Lorenzen et al. to reproduce Jupiter's atmospheric helium abundance and examine evolution models as a function of the LDD layer height, from those that prolong Jupiter's cooling time to those that actually shorten it. Resulting models that meet the luminosity constraint have layer heights of ≈0.1–1 km, corresponding to ≈10 000–20 000 layers in the rain zone between ∼1 and 3–4.5 Mbar. Present limitations and directions for future work are discussed, such as the formation and sinking of He droplets.

Direct determination of the solar neutrino fluxes from solar neutrino data

We determine the solar neutrino fluxes from a global analysis of the solar and terrestrial neutrino data in the framework of three-neutrino mixing. Using a Bayesian approach we reconstruct the posterior probability distribution function for the eight normalization parameters of the solar neutrino fluxes plus the relevant masses and mixing, with and without imposing the luminosity constraint. This is done by means of a Markov Chain Monte Carlo employing the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm. We also describe how these results can be applied to test the predictions of the Standard Solar Models. Our results show that, at present, both models with low and high metallicity can describe the data with good statistical agreement.

A luminosity constraint on the origin of unidentified high energy sources

The identification of point sources poses a great challenge for the high energy community. We present a new approach to evaluate the likelihood of a set of sources being a Galactic population based on the simple assumption that galaxies similar to the Milky Way host comparable populations of gamma-ray emitters. We propose a luminosity constraint on Galactic source populations which complements existing approaches by constraining the abundance and spatial distribution of any objects of Galactic origin, rather than focusing on the properties of a specific candidate emitter. We use M31 as a proxy for the Milky Way and demonstrate this technique by applying it to the unidentified EGRET sources. We find that it is highly improbable that the majority of the unidentified EGRET sources are members of a Galactic halo population (e.g., dark matter subhalos), but that current observations do not provide any constraints on all of these sources being Galactic objects if they reside entirely in the disk and bulge. Applying this method to upcoming observations by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has the potential to exclude association of an even larger number of unidentified sources with any Galactic source class.

Solar neutrinos

Experimental work with solar neutrinos has illuminated the properties of neutrinos and tested models of how the sun produces its energy. Three experiments continue to take data, and at least seven are in various stages of planning or construction. In this review, the current experimental status is summarized, and future directions explored with a focus on the effects of a non-zero θ 13 and the interesting possibility of directly testing the luminosity constraint. Such a confrontation at the few-percent level would provide a prediction of the solar irradiance tens of thousands of years in the future for comparison with the present-day irradiance. A model-independent analysis of existing low-energy data shows good agreement between the neutrino and electromagnetic luminosities at the ± 20 % level.

The Circumstellar Structure of the Class I Protostar TMC‐1 (IRAS 04381+2540) fromHubble Space TelescopeNICMOS Data

The class I protostar TMC-1 (IRAS 04381+2540) is oriented favorably for determining the properties of its circumstellar envelope and outflow cavity. Deep, high spatial resolution Hubble Space Telescope (HST) NICMOS images at 1.6 μm exhibit both a narrow jet and a wide-angle conical outflow cavity. Model images of the scattered-light distribution fit the data well, reproducing the intensity level, cavity width, and observed limb brightening. The best-fit geometry for TMC-1 has a 45° ± 5° source inclination and an 80° ± 5° deprojected wind opening angle (full width). The age, normally a poorly known quantity, is well constrained; the protostar age, i.e., time since the onset of cloud collapse, is 1 × 105 yr to within a factor of 2. We offer a possible resolution to the well-known luminosity problem. By considering the efficiency of infall onto the protostar, we find that plausible parameters can give an efficiency, and hence accretion luminosity, as low as 10% of the value derived from the collapsing cloud core. The efficiency, together with a luminosity constraint, leads to a mass estimate that ranges from about 0.1 M☉ for high efficiency to 0.2 M☉ for low accretion efficiency onto the protostar. Similarly, the estimated mass accretion rate onto the protostar ranges over roughly (0.9-1.4) × 10-6 M☉ yr-1, which is smaller than the (1.6-3.5) × 10-6 M☉ yr-1 infall rate of the cloud. If low efficiency rates are prevalent for protostars, one important consequence is that it will take longer to assemble the central star than the time t = Min/in, a time that assumes all of the infalling material lands on the protostar.

A lithium experiment in the program of solar neutrino research

Experiments sensitive to pp neutrinos from the Sun are very promising for precise measurement of the mixing angle ϑ 12. A νe − scattering experiment (XMASS) and/or a charged-current experiment (indium detector) can measure the flux of electron pp neutrinos. One can find the total flux of pp neutrinos from a luminosity constraint after the contributions of 7Be and CNO neutrinos to the total luminosity of the Sun are measured. A radiochemical experiment utilizing a lithium target has high sensitivity to the CNO neutrinos; thus, it has a good promise for precise measurement of the mixing angle and for a test of the current theory of evolution of the stars.

Lithium experiment on solar neutrinos to weight the CNO cycle

The measurement of the flux of beryllium neutrinos with the accuracy of about 10% and CNO neutrinos with the accuracy 30% will enable to find the flux of pp-neutrinos in the source with the accuracy better than 1% using the luminosity constraint. The future experiments on \nu e- scattering will enable to measure with very good accuracy the flux of beryllium and pp-neutrinos on the Earth. The ratio of the flux of pp-neutrinos on the Earth and in the source will enable to find with very good accuracy a mixing angle theta solar. Lithium detector has high sensitivity to CNO neutrinos and can find the contribution of CNO cycle to the energy generated in the Sun. This will be a stringent test of the theory of stellar evolution and combined with other experiments will provide a precise determination of the flux of pp-neutrinos in the source and a mixing angle theta solar. The work on the development of the technology of lithium experiment is now in progress.

A road map to solar neutrino fluxes, neutrino oscillation parameters, and tests for new physics

We analyze all available solar and related reactor neutrino experiments, as well as simulated future 7Be, p-p, pep, and ^8B solar neutrino experiments. We treat all solar neutrino fluxes as free parameters subject to the condition that the total luminosity represented by the neutrinos equals the observed solar luminosity (the `luminosity constraint'). Existing experiments show that the p-p solar neutrino flux is 1.02 +- 0.02 (1 sigma) times the flux predicted by the BP00 standard solar model; the 7Be neutrino flux is 0.93^{+0.25}_{-0.63} the predicted flux; and the ^8B flux is 1.01 +- 0.04 the predicted flux. The neutrino oscillation parameters are: Delta m^2 = 7.3^{+0.4}_{-0.6}\times 10^{-5} eV^2 and tan^2 theta_{12} = 0.41 +- 0.04. We evaluate how accurate future experiments must be to determine more precisely neutrino oscillation parameters and solar neutrino fluxes, and to elucidate the transition from vacuum-dominated to matter-dominated oscillations at low energies. A future 7Be nu-e scattering experiment accurate to +- 10 % can reduce the uncertainty in the experimentally determined 7Be neutrino flux by a factor of four and the uncertainty in the p-p neutrino flux by a factor of 2.5 (to +- 0.8 %). A future p-p experiment must be accurate to better than +- 3 % to shrink the uncertainty in tan^2 theta_{12} by more than 15 %. The idea that the Sun shines because of nuclear fusion reactions can be tested accurately by comparing the observed photon luminosity of the Sun with the luminosity inferred from measurements of solar neutrino fluxes. Based upon quantitative analyses of present and simulated future experiments, we answer the question: Why perform low-energy solar neutrino experiments?

The luminosity constraint on solar neutrino fluxes

A specific linear combination of the total solar neutrino fluxes must equal the measured solar photon luminosity if nuclear fusion reactions among light elements are responsible for solar energy generation. This luminosity constraint, previously used in a limited form in testing the no neutrino oscillation hypothesis, is derived in a generality that includes all of the relevant solar neutrino fluxes and which is suitable for analyzing the results of many different solar neutrino experiments. With or without allowing for neutrino oscillations, the generalized luminosity constraint can be used in future analyses of solar neutrino data. Accurate numerical values for the linear coefficients are provided.

Bounds on hep neutrinos

The excess of highest energy solar-neutrino events recently observed by Superkamiokande can be in principle explained by anomalously high hep-neutrino flux Φ ν ( hep). Without using SSM calculations, from the solar luminosity constraint we derive that Φ ν ( hep)/ S 13 cannot exceed the SSM estimate by more than a factor three. If one makes the additional hypothesis that hep neutrino production occurs where the 3He concentration is at equilibrium, helioseismology gives an upper bound which is (less then) two times the SSM prediction. We argue that the anomalous hep-neutrino flux of order of that observed by Superkamiokande cannot be explained by astrophysics, but rather by a large production cross-section.

Solutions to the solar neutrino anomaly

We present an updated analysis of astrophysical solutions, two-flavor MSW solutions, and vacuum oscillation solutions to the solar neutrino anomaly. The recent results of each of the five solar neutrino experiments are incorporated, including both the zenith angle (day-night) and spectral information from the Kamiokande experiment, and the preliminary Super-Kamiokande results. New theoretical developments include the use of the most recent Bahcall-Pinsonneault flux predictions (and uncertainties) and density and production profiles, the radiative corrections to the neutrino-electron scattering cross section, and new constraints on the Ga absorption cross section inferred from the gallium source experiments. From a model independent analysis, arbitrary astrophysical solutions are excluded at more that 98% C.L. even if one ignores any one of the three classes of experiment, relaxes the luminosity constraint, or allows more suppression of the 7Be than 8B flux. The data is well described by large and small mixing angle two-flavor MSW conversions, MSW conversions into a sterile neutrino with small mixing, or vacuum oscillations. We also present MSW fits for nonstandard solar models parameterized by an arbitrary solar core temperature or arbitrary 8B flux.

Probability of a Solution to the Solar Neutrino Problem within the Minimal Standard Model

Tests, independent of any solar model, can be made of whether solar neutrino experiments are consistent with the minimal standard model (stable, massless neutrinos). If the experimental uncertainties are correctly estimated and the Sun is generating energy by light-element fusion in quasistatic equilibrium, the probability of a standard-physics solution is less than 2%. Even when the luminosity constraint is abandoned, the probability is not more than 4%. The sensitivity of the conclusions to input parameters is explored.

How well do we (and will we) know solar neutrino fluxes and oscillation parameters?

Assuming neutrino oscillations occur, the pp electron neutrino flux is uncertain by at least a factor of two, the ${\rm ^8B}$ flux by a factor of five, and the ${\rm ^7Be}$ flux by a factor of forty-five. Calculations of the expected results of future solar neutrino experiments (SuperKamiokande, SNO, BOREXINO, ICARUS, HELLAZ, and HERON) are used to illustrate the extent to which these experiments will restrict the range of the allowed neutrino mixing parameters. We present an improved formulation of the ``luminosity constraint'' and show that at 95\% confidence limit this constraint establishes the best available limits on the rate of creation of pp neutrinos in the solar interior and provides the best upper limit to the ${\rm ^7Be}$ neutrino flux.