Related papers: Dynamical dark energy and variation of fundamental…
Motivated by the recent measurement of the primeval abundance of deuterium, we re-examine the nuclear inputs to big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). Using Monte-Carlo realization of the nuclear cross-section data to directly estimate the…
Ordinary-sterile neutrino oscillations can generate a significant lepton number asymmetry in the early Universe. We study this phenomenon in detail. We show that the dynamics of ordinary-sterile neutrino oscillations in the early Universe…
We consider a class of theories in which neutrino masses depend significantly on environment, as a result of interactions with the dark sector. Such theories of mass varying neutrinos (MaVaNs) were recently introduced to explain the origin…
Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) is studied within the framework of a two-parameter family of tensor-scalar theories of gravitation, with nonlinear scalar-matter coupling function a(phi). We run a BBN code modified by tensor-scalar gravity,…
We assess the viability of successful reconstruction of the evolution of the dark energy equation of state using varying fundamental couplings, such as the fine structure constant or the proton-to-electron mass ratio. We show that the same…
This paper makes the simple observation that a fundamental length, or cutoff, in the context of Friedmann-Lema\^itre-Robertson-Walker (FRW) cosmology implies very different things than for a static universe. It is argued that it is…
We compute primordial light-element abundances for cases with fine structure constant alpha different from the present value, including many sources of alpha dependence neglected in previous calculations. Specifically, we consider…
We study the big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) with the long-lived exotic particle, called X. If the lifetime of X is longer than \sim 0.1 sec, its decay may cause non-thermal nuclear reactions during or after the BBN, altering the predictions…
During its hot, dense, early evolution the Universe was a primordial nuclear reactor, synthesizing the light nuclides D, 3He, 4He and 7Li in the first thousand seconds. The presently observed abundances of these relic nuclides provide a…
We study the time variation of fundamental constants in the early Universe. Using data from primordial light nuclei abundances, CMB and the 2dFGRS power spectrum, we put constraints on the time variation of the fine structure constant…
This letter explores how a reinterpretation of the generalized uncertainty principle as an effective variation of Planck's constant provides a physical explanation for a number of fundamental quantities and couplings. In this context, a…
The detection of a spatial variation of the fine-structure constant, alpha, based on study of quasar absorption systems has recently been reported. The physics that causes this alpha-variation should have other observable manifestations,…
The formation of a strange or hybrid star from a neutron star progenitor is believed to occur when the central stellar density exceeds a critical value. If the transition from hadron to quark matter is of first order, the event has to…
We use Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) data in order to impose constraints on the exponent of Barrow entropy. The latter is an extended entropy relation arising from the incorporation of quantum-gravitational effects on the black-hole…
Limits can be placed on nonstandard neutrino physics when big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) calculations employing standard neutrino physics agree with the observationally inferred primordial abundances of deuterium (D), $^3$He, $^4$He, and…
For a brief time in its early evolution the Universe was a cosmic nuclear reactor. The expansion and cooling of the Universe limited this epoch to the first few minutes, allowing time for the synthesis in astrophysically interesting…
We show that a slowly varying Newton's constant, consistent with existing bounds, can potentially explain a host of observations pertaining to gravitational effects or phenomena across distances spanning from planetary to the cosmological,…
We present a Bayesian comparative analysis of five cosmological models: $\Lambda$CDM, $w$CDM, $w_0w_a$CDM, $\phi$CDM (with scalar-field dark energy), and an interacting dark energy scenario (the $\xi$-index model), to investigate dark…
Meta-stable dark sector particles decaying into electrons or photons may non-trivially change the Hubble rate, lead to entropy injection into the thermal bath of Standard Model particles and may also photodisintegrate light nuclei formed in…
Nuclear density functional theory (DFT) is one of the main theoretical tools used to study the properties of heavy and superheavy elements, or to describe the structure of nuclei far from stability. While on-going efforts seek to better…