The Central Temperature of the Sun can be Measured via the ${}^7$Be Solar Neutrino Line

Abstract

A precise test of the theory of stellar evolution can be performed by measuring the difference in average energy between the neutrino line produced by ${}^7\mathrm{Be}$ electron capture in the solar interior and the corresponding neutrino line produced in a terrestrial laboratory. The high temperatures in the center of the sun broaden the line asymmetrically, FWHM = 1.6~keV, and cause an average energy shift of 1.3~keV. The width of the ${}^7$Be neutrino line should be taken into account in calculations of vacuum neutrino oscillations.

Comments: RevTeX file, 9 pages. For hardcopy with figure, send to BEST@SNS.IAS.EDU. Institute for Advanced Study number AST 93/41