Solar neutrino

A neutrino produced by nuclear reactions in the Sun. Solar neutrinos escape the solar interior and carry information about its fusion processes.

Proton–proton chain: A sequence of nuclear reactions that fuses hydrogen into helium in stars like the Sun. Its reactions produce most solar neutrinos, including the low-energy neutrinos from proton fusion.
John N. Bahcall: An American astrophysicist whose calculations and models shaped predictions of solar-neutrino flux. His standard solar models provided the benchmark that the first measurements challenged.
Standard solar model: A theoretical model of the Sun’s structure and evolution based on stellar physics and measured solar properties. Its predicted neutrino fluxes can be compared with observations to test the model’s core conditions.
Atmospheric neutrino: A neutrino produced when cosmic rays collide with particles in Earth’s atmosphere. Its production in the atmosphere contrasts with solar neutrinos born in fusion reactions.
CNO cycle: A stellar fusion cycle that uses carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen nuclei to convert hydrogen into helium. It produces a smaller, distinct component of the Sun’s neutrino flux.
Raymond Davis Jr.: An American chemist and physicist who pioneered radiochemical detection of solar neutrinos. His Homestake experiment made the solar-neutrino deficit an enduring scientific puzzle.
Solar neutrino spectroscopy: The study of solar-neutrino energy distributions to identify the nuclear reactions that produced them. Different reaction branches leave recognizable features in the measured energy spectrum.
Supernova neutrino: A neutrino emitted during the collapse and explosion of a star. It comes from a brief stellar catastrophe rather than the Sun’s steady fusion.
Neutrino oscillation: The process by which neutrinos change among electron, muon, and tau flavors as they travel. It explains why fewer electron neutrinos reach Earth than early detectors expected.
Homestake experiment: A pioneering solar-neutrino experiment that used a chlorine tank in the Homestake Mine in South Dakota. It detected only about one-third of the solar-neutrino rate predicted by models.

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