An independent search for Jovian neutrinos using BOREXINO data

TL;DR

This study reanalyzes BOREXINO data to confirm a potential Jovian neutrino signal, finding marginal evidence and highlighting the challenges of distinguishing planetary signals in neutrino flux data.

Contribution

The paper provides an independent confirmation of the Jovian neutrino signal and applies Bayesian model comparison to assess planetary contributions in BOREXINO data.

Findings

Confirmed Jovian neutrino signal with similar amplitude and significance.

Detected spurious signals from Venus and Saturn at similar significance levels.

Bayesian analysis indicates very marginal evidence for Jupiter's additional contribution.

Abstract

In a recent study, arXiv:2401.13043 found evidence for a 6% flux contribution from Jupiter to the total flux rate time series data from the BOREXINO solar neutrino experiment, specifically during the time intervals 2019-2021 and 2011-2013. The significance of this detection was estimated to be around $2\sigma$. We reanalyze the BOREXINO data and independently confirm the Jovian signal with the same amplitude and significance as that obtained in arXiv:2401.13043. However, using the same technique, we also find a spurious flux contribution from Venus and Saturn (at $\sim 2\sigma$ significance), whereas prima facie one should not expect any signal from any other planet. We then implement Bayesian model comparison to ascertain whether the BOREXINO data contain an additional contribution from Jupiter, Venus or Saturn. We find Bayes factors of less than five for an additional contribution from Jupiter, and less than or close to one for Venus and Saturn. This implies that the evidence for an additional contribution from Jupiter is very marginal.