Neutrinos spotted from Sun's main nuclear reaction – Physics World
Solace for solar physicists: Borexino results back theory Physicists working on the Borexino experiment in Italy have successfully detected neutrinos from the main nuclear reaction that powers the Sun. It is this low-energy neutrino that physicists have now detected. While the Borexino result will bring some solace to solar physicists, a new controversy has erupted. Fortunately, 1% of the Sun’s energy arises not from the proton–proton chain but instead from the CNO cycle, in which carbon, nitrogen and oxygen nuclei catalyse the hydrogen-to-helium reaction. These reactions spawn neutrinos, too, and the more carbon, nitrogen and oxygen the Sun has, the more of these neutrinos there should be.