On the origin of transient effects in the solar neutrino experiment

Correlation studies of the pattern of time variation of the recorded solar neutrino flux monitored through the reaction Cl³⁷ → Ar³⁷ with various parameters of solar activity is suggestive of possible emission of a penetrating neutral particle from the sun influencing directly or indirectly the transformation Cl³⁷ → Ar³⁷ deep underground at the required rates. This possibility has to be invoked in view of the difficulties in generating the observed pattern of variations through a large modulatory mechanism involving the electron neutrino. The prediction that follows is the possible existence of a time varying component (diurnal) in the rate of some nuclear transmutations deep underground caused by an unknown neutral radiation having an interaction cross section with matter probably much larger than the canonical value of 10^-36 cm² per nucleon speculated upon by some authors in the WIMP scenario for the sun.