NEW SOLAR COMPOSITION: THE PROBLEM WITH SOLAR MODELS REVISITED

Journal Article · Tue Nov 10 00:00:00 EST 2009 · Astrophysical Journal (Online)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/705/2/L123· OSTI ID:21378341

Serenelli, Aldo M; Asplund, Martin ^[1]; Basu, Sarbani ^[2]; Ferguson, Jason W ^[3]

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1. Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Karl Schwarzschild Str. 1, Garching D-85471 (Germany)
2. Department of Astronomy, Yale University, P.O. Box 208101, New Haven, CT 06520-8101 (United States)
3. Department of Physics, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS 67260-0032 (United States)

We construct updated solar models with different sets of solar abundances, including the most recent determinations by Asplund et al. The latter work predicts a larger (approx10%) solar metallicity compared to previous measurements by the same authors but significantly lower (approx25%) than the recommended value from a decade ago by Grevesse and Sauval. We compare the results of our models with determinations of the solar structure inferred through helioseismology measurements. The model that uses the most recent solar abundance determinations predicts the base of the solar convective envelope to be located at R {sub CZ} = 0.724 R{sub sun} and a surface helium mass fraction of Y{sub surf} = 0.231. These results are in conflict with helioseismology data (R{sub CZ} = 0.713 +- 0.001 R{sub sun} and Y{sub surf} = 0.2485 +- 0.0035) at 5sigma and 11sigma levels, respectively. Using the new solar abundances, we calculate the magnitude by which radiative opacities should be modified in order to restore agreement with helioseismology. We find that a maximum change of approx15% at the base of the convective zone is required with a smooth decrease toward the core, where the change needed is approx5%. The required change at the base of the convective envelope is about half the value estimated previously. We also present the solar neutrino fluxes predicted by the new models. The most important changes brought about by the new solar abundances are the increase by approx10% in the predicted {sup 13}N and {sup 15}O fluxes that arise mostly due to the increase in the C and N abundances in the newly determined solar composition.

• OSTI ID: 21378341
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal (Online), Vol. 705, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/705/2/L123; ISSN 1538-4357
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ABUNDANCE
HELIUM
MASS
NITROGEN 13
OPACITY
OXYGEN 15
SOLAR NEUTRINOS
STAR MODELS
SUN
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FERMIONS
FLUIDS
GASES
ISOTOPES
LEPTONS
LIGHT NUCLEI
MAIN SEQUENCE STARS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NEUTRINOS
NITROGEN ISOTOPES
NONMETALS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
OXYGEN ISOTOPES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIATIONS
RADIOISOTOPES
RARE GASES
SOLAR PARTICLES
SOLAR RADIATION
STARS
STELLAR RADIATION