New neutrino physics and the altered shapes of solar neutrino spectra

Abstract

Neutrinos coming from the Sun's core are now measured with a high precision, and fundamental neutrino oscillations parameters are determined with a good accuracy. In this work, we estimate the impact that a new neutrino physics model, the so-called generalized Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) oscillation mechanism, has on the shape of some of leading solar neutrino spectra, some of which will be partially tested by the next generation of solar neutrino experiments. In these calculations, we use a high-precision standard solar model in good agreement with helioseismology data. We found that the neutrino spectra of the different solar nuclear reactions of the proton-proton chains and carbon-nitrogen-oxygen cycle have quite distinct sensitivities to the new neutrino physics. The $HeP$ and $^8B$ neutrino spectra are the ones for which their shapes are more affected when neutrinos interact with quarks in addition to electrons. The shape of the $^{15}O$ and $^{17}F$ neutrino spectra are also modified, although in these cases the impact is much smaller. Finally, the impact in the shape of the $PP$ and $^{13}N$ neutrino spectra is practically negligible.