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Issue A&A Volume 371, Number 3, June I 2001 Page(s) 1123 - 1127 Section The Sun DOI 10.1051/0004-6361:20010225

A&A 371, 1123-1127 (2001)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20010225

Solar models and electron screening

A. Weiss^{1, 2, 3}, M. Flaskamp¹ and V. N. Tsytovich<sup>4

1</sup>  Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
²  Princeton University Observatory, Peyton Hall, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
³  Institute for Advanced Study, Einstein Dr., Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
⁴  Dept. of Theoretical Physics, General Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

(Received 14 December 2000 / Accepted 6 February 2001)

Abstract
We investigate the sensitivity of the solar model to changes in the nuclear reaction screening factors. We show that the sound speed profile as determined by helioseismology certainly rules out changes in the screening factors exceeding more than 10% . A slightly improved solar model could be obtained by enhancing screening by about 5% over the Salpeter value. We also discuss how envelope properties of the Sun depend on screening, too. We conclude that the solar model can be used to help settling the on-going dispute about the "correct"screening factors.

Key words: nuclear reactions -- plasmas -- Sun: general -- interior

Offprint request: A. Weiss, weiss@mpa-garching.mpg.de

© ESO 2001

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