Solar Neutrinos — From Puzzle to Paradox
R. S. Raghavan
SCIENCE Vol. 267, Issue 5194, pp. 45-51 (Jan 6, 1995)
doi:10.1126/science.267.5194.45
Abstract
The solar neutrino puzzle is deepening into a paradox that refutes the basic logic of the reaction chain that powers the sun by the fusion of protons into heavy elements. Experiments now reveal a serious anomaly in the relative neutrino fluxes from the different steps in the chain. Neutrinos from boron-8 at the end of the chain are seen but hardly any are seen from beryllium-7, without which the observed boron-8 cannot be made. The only apparent way to avoid a paradoxical “missing link” in the sun’s energy chain is a nonzero neutrino mass, an idea that can be tested in future experiments.
Solar Neutrinos — From Puzzle to Paradox