Theoretical Astrophysics

Possible neutrino contribution to dark matter:
Some neutrinos created by the main energy-producing reactions in the Sun will have less than gravitational escape velocity. They will be orbiting with an approximately spherically symmetric spatial distribution centered upon the Sun. This “solar neutrinosphere” exerts its own gravitational field and will cause an anomalous deceleration of objects escaping from the Sun. Such has been observed with the old Voyager spacecraft. A novel opportunity for a quantitative estimate of the neutrino mass, and of neutrino contribution to dark matter in the Sun’s neighbourhood therefore presents itself, with implications also for galactic dark matter distribution.

Dr David Krofcheck
Email: d.krofcheck@auckland.ac.nz

Dr Ronald Keam
Email: r.keam@auckland.ac.nz