Solar neutrino physics on the beginning of 2017

This writeup is a review of current hot topics on solar neutrinos. It is based on a talk at the conference "Neutrinos: the quest for a new physics scale", held at the CERN on March 2017, where the Organizers entrusted me with a discussion of the provocative question "whether solar neutrino physics is over". Rather than providing a straight (negative) answer, in view of an audience consisting mostly of colleagues working in theoretical particle physics, I deemed it more useful providing a description of what is the current activity of the physicists working in solar neutrinos, leaving the listener free of forming his/her own opinion apropos.Comment: LaTeX, 10 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. Minor improvements, matches version published in "Nuclear Physics and Atomic Energy

Joint analysis of Borexino and SNO solar neutrino data and reconstruction of the survival probability

Solar neutrino oscillations are supported by KamLAND's antineutrino measurements, but certain solar neutrino data - the observed shape of the ${}^8$B flux and the difference between day and night counting rates measured in Super-Kamiokande - do not fit well with the ensuing oscillation pattern. Interestingly, other solar neutrino data allow independent tests of the survival probability. Thanks to the new measurements of Borexino at low-energies along with the standard solar model and to the results of SNO at high-energies, four values of the neutrino survival probability are known. We build and study a likelihood based only on these solar neutrino data. The results agree well with the standard oscillation pattern and in particular with KamLAND findings. A related and straightforward procedure permits to reconstruct the survival probability of solar neutrinos and to assess its uncertainties, for all solar neutrino energies.Comment: LaTeX, 12 pages, 4 figures, 1 table. Minor improvements. Version accepted in "Nuclear Physics and Atomic Energy

La Thuile 2014: Theoretical premises to neutrino round table

This talk, dedicated to the memory of G. Giacomelli, introduced the round table on neutrinos held in February 2014. The topics selected for the discussion are: 1) the neutrinoless double beta decay rate (interpretation in terms of light neutrinos, nuclear uncertainties); 2) the physics in the gigantic water Cherenkov detectors (proton decay, atmospheric neutrinos); 3) the study of neutrino oscillations (mass hierarchy and CP violation; other neutrino states); 4) the neutrino astronomy at low and high energies (solar, supernova, cosmic neutrinos). The importance of an active interplay between theory and experiment is highlighted.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures. Minor revision of the tex

Is a Coherent Picture of Massive Neutrinos Emerging?

The hypothesis that neutrinos are massive has a strong experimental support; however, the information we have is quite limited, and many possibilities are open. Theoretical considerations might help fill the gaps (or foresee regularities), as we illustrate with a specific example.Comment: 2 pages, ws-p9-75x6-50.cls file included. To appear in the "Proceedings of the 9th Marcel Grossmann Meeting", Rome, Jul 2000, Session AP5 (Experimental Status of Neutrino Mixing