Phenomenology 2025 Symposium

A $\nu$ look at the Sun: Probing the conditions of the solar core using $^8$B neutrinos

19 May 2025, 17:15

15m

David Lawrence Hall 104, University of Pittsburgh

Astro-Particle Physics Astro-particle

Speaker

Melanie Zaidel (Ohio State University)

Description

In the coming age of precision neutrino physics, neutrinos from the Sun become robust probes of the conditions of the solar core. Here, we focus on $^8$B neutrinos, for which there are already high precision measurements by the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory and Super-Kamiokande. Using only basic physical principles and straightforward statistical tools, we calculate projected constraints on the temperature and density of the $^8$B neutrino production zone compared to a reference solar model. We outline how to better understand the astrophysics of the solar interior using forthcoming neutrino data and solar models. Our code is publicly available on Github.