The State Be7 in the Core of the Sun and the Solar Neutrino Flux

Abstract

The exact ionization state of Be7 in the solar core is crucial for the precise prediction of the solar B8 neutrino flux. We therefore examine the effect of pressure ionization on the ionization state of Be7 and all elements with 12 >= Z >= 4. We show that under the conditions prevailing in the solar core, one has to consider the effect of the nearest neighbor on the electronic structure of a given ion. To this goal, we first solve the Schroedinger and then the Kohn-Sham equations for an ion immersed in a dense plasma under conditions for which the mean interparticle distance is smaller than the Debye radius. The question of which boundary conditions should be imposed on the wave function is discussed, examined and found to be crucial. Contrary to previous estimates showing that Beryllium is partially ionized, we find that it is fully ionized. As a consequence, the predicted rate of the Be7 + e- reaction is reduced by 20-30%, depending on the exact solar model. Since Be7 is a trace element, its total production is controlled by the unchanged He4+He3 reaction rate, and its destruction is determined by the rate of electron capture. As the latter rate decreases when the Beryllium is fully ionized (relative to the case of partially ionized Be), the estimate for the abundance of Be7 increases and with it the B8 neutrino flux. The increase in phi_nu(B8) is by about 20-30%. The neutrino flux due to Be7 electron capture remains effectively unchanged because the change in the rate is compensated for by a change in the abundance. Hence the prediction for the ratio of phi_nu(B8) / phi_nu(Be7) changes as well.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures. Submitted to MNRA