English

Varying physical constants and the lithium problem

General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology 2022-03-25 v3 Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics

Abstract

We have used the recently published varying physical constants (VPC) approach to resolve the primordial lithium abundance problem. The value of the ratio of 7Li7Li to hydrogen 7Li/H=1.400(±0.023)×10107Li/H=1.400(\pm 0.023){\times}10^{-10} we have calculated using this approach is about four times lower than that estimated using the standard lambda cold dark matter (Λ{\Lambda}CDM) cosmological model, and is consistent with the most agreed observational value of 1.6(±0.3)×10101.6(\pm 0.3){\times}10^{-10}. In the VPC approach Einstein equations are modified to include the variation of the speed of light cc, gravitational constant GG and cosmological constant Λ{\Lambda} using the Einstein-Hilbert action. Application of this approach to cosmology naturally leads to the variation of the Plank constant \hbar and the Boltzmann constant kBk_B as well. They approach fixed values at the scale factor a1a\ll 1: c=c0/ec=c_0/e, G=G0/e3G=G_0/e^3, =0/e\hbar=\hbar_0/e and kB=kB0/e5/4k_B=k_{B0}/e^{5/4}, where ee is the Euler's number (=2.7183). Since the VPC cosmology reduces to the same form as the Λ{\Lambda}CDM cosmology at very small scale factors, we could use an existing Big-Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) code AlterBBN with the above changes to calculate the light element abundances under the VPC cosmology. Among other abundances we have calculated at baryon to photon ratio η=6.1×1010{\eta}=6.1{\times}10^{-10} are: 4He/H=0.2478(±0.041)4He/H =0.2478 (\pm 0.041), D/H=2.453(±0.041)×105D/H =2.453(\pm 0.041){\times}10^{-5} and 3He/H=2.940(±0.049)×1053 He/H=2.940(\pm 0.049){\times}10^{-5}.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2010.13628,
  title  = {Varying physical constants and the lithium problem},
  author = {Rajendra P. Gupta},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2010.13628},
  year   = {2022}
}

Comments

8 pages, 2 figures, thoroughly revised as published with typos corrected. Critical comments welcomed

R2 v1 2026-06-23T19:39:21.773Z