ar X iv : h ep - p h / 03 05 10 6 v 1 9 M ay 2 00 3 The MSW effect and Solar Neutrinos ∗

The MSW (Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein) effect is the effect of transformation of one neutrino species (flavor) into another one in a medium with varying density. Three basic elements of the effect include: the refraction of neutrinos in matter, the resonance (level crossing) and the adiabaticity. The key notion is the neutrino eigenstates in matter. Physical picture of the effect is described in terms of the flavors and the relative phases of eigenstates and the transitions between eigenstates. Features of the large mixing realization of the MSW effect are discussed. The large mixing MSW effect (LMA) provides the solution of the solar neutrino problem. We show in details how this mechanism works. Physics beyond the LMA solution is discussed. The lower Ar-production rate (in comparison with the LMA prediction) and absence of significant turn up of the spectrum at low energies can be due to an additional effect of the light sterile neutrino with very small mixing.