Frequentist analyses of solar neutrino data (updated including KamLAND and SNO data)

Abstract

The solar neutrino data are analyzed in a frequentist framework, using the Crow-Gardner and Feldman-Cousins prescriptions for the construction of confidence regions. Including in the fit only the total rates measured by the various experiments, both methods give results similar to the commonly used Delta chi^2-cut approximation. When fitting the full data set, the Delta chi^2-cut still gives a good approximation of the Feldman-Cousins regions. However, a careful statistical analysis significantly reduces the goodness-of-fit of the SMA and LOW solutions. In the addenda we discuss the implications of the latest KamLAND, SNO and SK data.Comment: 24 pages, 12 figures. Version 2: addendum about the CC SNO data (section 6). Version 3: addendum about the NC and day/night SNO data (section 7). Version 4: addendum about the KamLAND data (section 8). Version 5: addendum about SNO salt data (section 9, pages 22, 23). Version 6: final addendum about final SNO salt data and KamLAND (section 10, page 24