Neutrino Propagation Through Helioseismic Waves

Abstract

Motivated by earlier calculations showing large effects when neutrinos propagate through fluctuating media, we perform here a detailed analysis of how density fluctuations in the sun in the form of helioseismic waves can modify the MSW solution to the solar neutrino problem. We find negligible effects for the MSW spectrum, even under extreme circumstances. There are two main reasons why our conclusions differ from earlier analyses. First, most helioseismic waves do not affect neutrino propagation because their amplitude is too small in the MSW resonance region, which is the only region to whose fluctuations neutrinos are sensitive. There is one class of waves which may be subject to an instability, however, and so can have significantly larger amplitudes. But the wavelength for these waves is so long that it invalidates the previous methods of calculation. Our more complete calculation significantly reduces the prediction for their influence on neutrino propagation.