Detection of neutrinos from the primary proton-proton fusion process in the Sun with Borexino
by
Daniel Bick(Univ. Hamburg)
→
Europe/Berlin
Main Auditorium (DESY Hamburg)
Main Auditorium
DESY Hamburg
Description
In the core of our Sun, energy is released through fusion of hydrogen to helium. The primary reaction is the fusion of two protons accompanied by the emission of a low-energy neutrino. These so-called pp-neutrinos are the largest component of the solar neutrino flux, outnumbering those emitted in the subsequent reactions by far. Due to the low energy of the pp-neutrinos, they have not been observed directly until recently. Now the Borexino experiment has succeeded in the spectroscopic measurement of pp-neutrinos using 300 tons of liquid scintillator with an unprecedented radio-purity. With this observation, the flux of all neutrinos from the pp-chain has for the first time been observed in a single experiment.
