Related papers: Bipartite Solution to the Lithium Problem
The effects of radiatively decaying, long-lived particles on big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) are discussed. If high-energy photons are emitted after BBN, they may change the abundances of the light elements through photodissociation…
In this paper we consider the effects on big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) of the hadronic decay of a long-lived massive particle. If high-energy hadrons are emitted near the BBN epoch ($t \sim 10^{-2}$ -- $10^2 \sec$), they extraordinarily…
Neutrinoless double beta decay is a very important process both from the particle and nuclear physics point of view. From the elementary particle point of view it pops up in almost every model. giving rise, among others, to the following…
Neutrinoless double beta decay pops up almost in any extension of the standard model. It is perhaps the only process, which can unambiguously determine whether the massive neutrinos are Majorana or Dirac type particles. In addition from the…
In 1982, Monique and Francois Spite discovered that the 7Li abundance in the atmosphere of old metal-poor dwarf stars in the galactic halo was independent of metallicity and temperature. Since then, 7Li abundance in the Universe has become…
Determining the nature -Dirac or Majorana- of massive neutrinos is one of the most pressing and challenging problems in the field of neutrino physics. We discuss how one can possibly extract information on the couplings, if any, which might…
The role of novae as producers of galactic lithium has been suggested since the 1970s, and it has been reconsidered recently with the detection of $^7$Be in their outbursts. At the same time, stellar models are moving forward to comprehend…
Despite the extensive study of lithium depletion during pre-main-sequence contraction, studies of individual stars show discrepancies between ages determined from the HR diagram and ages determined from lithium depletion (Song et al. 2002,…
We investigate a scenario in which neutrinos are coupled to a pseudoscalar degree of freedom $\ph$ and where decays $\nu_1 \to \nu_2+\ph$ and inverse decays are the responsible mechanism for obtaining equilibrium. In this context we discuss…
The motivation for the search for $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay is briefly reviewed. It is stressed that the exchange of light Majorana neutrinos is not the only possible mechanism of the decay. The link between lepton number and lepton flavor…
Recent measurements of deuterium abundances from QSO absorption spectra show two conflicting numbers, which differ by an order of magnitude. Allowing the neutrino degeneracy together with gravitational constant variation at the epoch of…
During big bang nucleosynthesis, any injection of extra neutrons around the time of the $^7$Be formation, i.e. at a temperature of order $T \simeq 50$~keV, can reduce the predicted freeze-out amount of $^7$Be + $^7$Li that otherwise remains…
In a new measurement on neutrino oscillation $\nu_{\mu}\to\nu_e$, the MiniBooNE Collaboration observes an excess of electron-like events at low energy and the phenomenon may demand an explanation which obviously is beyond the oscillation…
Existing limits on the non-radiative decay of one neutrino to another plus a massless particle (e.g., a singlet Majoron) are very weak. The best limits on the lifetime to mass ratio come from solar neutrino observations, and are $\tau/m…
In the primordial Universe, neutrino decoupling occurs only slightly before electron-positron annihilations, leading to an increased neutrino energy density with order $10^{-2}$ spectral distortions compared to the standard instantaneous…
In the last two decades the search for neutrinoless double beta decay has evolved into one of the highest priorities for understanding neutrinos and the origin of mass. The main reason for this paradigm shift has been the discovery of…
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…
We explore the hypothesis that the unexplained data from LSND and MiniBooNE are evidence for a new, heavy neutrino mass-eigenstate that mixes with the muon-type neutrino and decays into an electron-type neutrino and a new, very light scalar…
The primordial abundances of deuterium, helium, and lithium probe the baryon density of the universe only a few minutes after the Big Bang. Of these relics from the early universe, deuterium is the baryometer of choice. After reviewing the…
Within the first 20 minutes of the evolution of the hot, dense, early Universe, astrophysically interesting abundances of deuterium, helium-3, helium-4, and lithium-7 were synthesized by the cosmic nuclear reactor. The primordial abundances…