Weakly interacting, massive particles and the solar neutrino flux
Abstract
If the sun contained even a small mass fraction of weakly interacting massive particles, there could be significant effects on central solar structure. The long mean free paths associated with such particles make them very efficient energy conductors. Consequently, an essentially isothermal core can be produced, which removes the central temperature peak responsible for the bulk of the predicted solar neutrinos in Davis's Cl-37 neutrino capture experiment. The solar evolutionary consequences are explored for both imposed isothermal core models and models including energy transport by a specific class of weakly interacting particles. In particular, a relative mass fraction, 10 to the -8th, of 4 GeV particles reduces predicted neutrino count rates by more than a factor of 3.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- December 1985
- DOI:
- Bibcode:
- 1985ApJ...299..994F
- Keywords:
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- Elementary Particle Interactions;
- Solar Neutrinos;
- Solar Physics;
- Stellar Cores;
- Weak Energy Interactions;
- Energy Transfer;
- Isothermal Processes;
- Scattering Cross Sections;
- Solar Flux Density;
- Solar Physics