Wavelet Analysis of the New Solar Neutrino Capture Rate Data for the Homestake Experiment

Wavelet analysis offers an alternative to Fourier based time-series analysis and is particularly useful when spectral features are time dependent. We analyze the solar neutrino capture rate of the radiochemical Homestake chlorine experiment with abbreviated Morlet wavelets, using Foster’s (AJ, 111,1709(1996)) rescaled wavelet technique. We emphasize the complementarity of wavelet analysis to Fourier analysis. Wavelet analysis confirms the results of previously undertaken Fourier analysis. The Homestake data seem to contain a harmonic content with periodicities of 4.76 yr, 1.89 yr, 0.85 yr, and 0.51 yr. Wavelet analysis reveals that the 4.76 yr and 1.89 yr periods show an almost constant behavior over the 25 yr Homestake data record, while the 0.85 yr and 0.51 yr periods exhibit a transient phenomenon. The analysis does not show strong evidence for a period of the solar 11 yr cycle. 1. The Solar Neutrino Problem 2. Is the Solar Neutrino Flux Constant Over Time ? 3. Wavelet Analysis of the Homestake Data Record 3.1. Wavelet and Fourier Spectra 3.2. Weighted Wavelet Z-Transform and Weighted Wavelet Amplitude 3.3. Results of the Wavelet Analysis 4. Conclusion References Table and Figure Captions