English

Refined Big Bang Nucleosynthesis Constraints on $\Omega_{Baryon}$ and $N_{\nu}$

Astrophysics 2009-10-22 v1 High Energy Physics - Phenomenology Nuclear Theory

Abstract

We include correlations between elemental abundances in a Monte Carlo statistical analysis of BBN predictions, which, along with updated reaction rates and an improved BBN code, lead to tightened constraints on ΩB\Omega_{B} and NνN_{\nu}. Observational upper limits on the primordial \he and D+3He\rm {D + {^3He}} fractions of 24%24 \% (by weight) and 104 10^{-4} respectively lead to the limits: 0.015ΩB0.0700.015 \le \Omega_{B} \le 0.070, and Nν3.04N_{\nu} \le 3.04. The former limit appears to be incompatible with purely baryonic galactic halo dark matter, while the latter puts qualitatively new constraints on neutrinos, and physics beyond the standard model.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.astro-ph/9402010,
  title  = {Refined Big Bang Nucleosynthesis Constraints on $\Omega_{Baryon}$ and $N_{\nu}$},
  author = {Peter J. Kernan and Lawrence M. Krauss},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/9402010},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

13 pages, latex, 3 uuencoded figures (appended)