The implications for helioseismology of experimental uncertainties in Newton's constant

Abstract

The experimental uncertainties in G between different experiments have important implications for helioseismology. We show that these uncertainties for the standard solar model lead to a range in the value of the square of the sound speed in the nuclear region that is as much as 0.15% higher than the inverted helioseismic sound speed. While a lower value of G is preferred for the standard model, any definite prediction is masked by the uncertainties in the solar models available in the literature. However future refinements of helioseismology with an accuracy of the order of 1E-3 to 1E-4 in the square of the sound speed, especially in combination with precision measurements of the 8B solar neutrino flux should be capable of independently testing these experimental values of G.