Towards solar measurements of nuclear reaction rates

TL;DR

This paper explores how helioseismology and solar neutrino data can significantly improve the precision of nuclear reaction rate measurements in the Sun, reducing uncertainties in stellar age estimates.

Contribution

It demonstrates the potential to enhance the measurement accuracy of key nuclear reaction rates using current solar observations, impacting stellar evolution models.

Findings

Potential to improve reaction rate measurements by nearly an order of magnitude

Reduction in uncertainty of stellar age estimates

Feasibility of using existing solar data for better nuclear physics constraints

Abstract

Nuclear reaction rates are a fundamental yet uncertain ingredient in stellar evolution models. The astrophysical S-factor pertaining to the initial reaction in the proton-proton chain is uncertain at the 1% level, which contributes a systematic but generally unpropagated error of similar order in the theoretical ages of stars. In this work, we study the prospect of improving the measurement of this and other reaction rates in the pp chain and CNO cycle using helioseismology and solar neutrinos. We show that when other aspects of the solar model are improved, then it shall be possible using current solar data to improve the precision of this measurement by nearly an order of magnitude, and hence the corresponding uncertainty on the ages of low-mass stars by a similar amount.