An updated discussion of the solar abundance problem

Abstract

We discuss the level of agreement of a new generation of standard solar models (SSMs), Barcelona 2016 or B16 for short, with helioseismic and solar neutrino data, confirming that models implementing the AGSS09met surface abundances, based on refined three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of the solar atmosphere, do not not reproduce helioseismic constraints. We clarify that this solar abundance problem can be equally solved by a change of the composition and/or of the opacity of the solar plasma, since effects produced by variations of metal abundances are equivalent to those produced by suitable modifications of the solar opacity profile. We discuss the importance of neutrinos produced in the CNO cycle for removing the composition-opacity degeneracy and the perspectives for their future detection.