Implications of solar wind measurements for solar models and composition
File(s)1604.05318v2.pdf (426.26 KB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
We critically examine recent claims of a high solar metallicity by von Steiger & Zurbuchen (2016, vSZ16) based on in situ measurements of the solar wind, rather than the standard spectroscopically inferred abundances (Asplund et al. 2009, hereafter AGSS09). We test the claim by Vagnozzi et al. (2016) that a composition based on the solar wind enables one to construct a standard solar model in agreement with helioseismological observations and thus solve the decades-old solar modelling problem. We show that, although some helioseismological observables are improved compared to models computed with spectroscopic abundances, most are in fact worse. The high abundance of refractory elements leads to an overproduction of neutrinos, with a predicted 8B flux that is nearly twice its observed value, and 7Be and CNO fluxes that are experimentally ruled out at high confidence. A combined likelihood analysis shows that models using the vSZ16 abundances are worse than AGSS09 despite a higher metallicity. We also present astrophysical and spectroscopic arguments showing the vSZ16 composition to be an implausible representation of the solar interior, identifying the first ionization potential effect in the outer solar atmosphere and wind as the likely culprit.
Date Issued
2016-08-04
Date Acceptance
2016-08-01
Citation
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2016, 463 (1), pp.2-9
ISSN
0035-8711
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Start Page
2
End Page
9
Journal / Book Title
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume
463
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2016 The Authors
Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society
Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sponsor
Science and Technology Facilities Council
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000386464900001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Grant Number
ST-N000838
ST/N000838/1
Subjects
Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Astronomy & Astrophysics
neutrinos
Sun: abundances
Sun: helioseismology
Sun: interior
DEGREE P-MODES
CHEMICAL-COMPOSITION
ELEMENTAL COMPOSITION
SEPARATION RATIOS
SUN
ABUNDANCES
HELIOSEISMOLOGY
STELLAR
CONSTRAINTS
CONVECTION
Publication Status
Published