Related papers: A data-driven prediction for the primordial deuter…
The apparent discrepancy between abundances of light nuclides predicted by the standard Big-Bang and observational data is explained, by assuming the presence of metastable H dibaryons at the nucleosynthesis era. These dibaryons could be…
The deuterium abundances inferred from observations of the interstellar medium within 1-2 kpc of the Sun range over a factor of three and the corresponding oxygen abundances show an even larger dispersion. While the lower D (and O)…
The conventional Big Bang model successfully anticipates the initial abundances of 2H(D), 3He, and 4He, aligning remarkably well with observational data. However, a persistent challenge arises in the case of 7Li, where the predicted…
Two dimensional concordance plots involving the baryon-to-photon ratio, $\eta$, and an effective number of light neutrinos, $N_{\nu}$, are used to discuss the overall consistency of standard big-bang nucleosynthesis in light of recent…
Deuterium abundance re-measurements by Burles and Tytler (1998; hereafter BT) yielded D/H = (3.3 +/- 0.3) 10^{-5} and the robust upper limit D/H < 3.9 10^{-5} from the z_a = 3.572 system toward Q1937-1009. In this new analysis BT adopted…
We present a new analysis of an absorption system in the spectrum of Q0014+813, with particular attention to a single cold cloud at redshift $z=2.797957$. Features are identified at this redshift corresponding to SiIII, SiIV, CIV, DI, and…
The relative abundance of deuterium and hydrogen is a potent tracer of planet formation and evolution. Jupiter and Saturn have protosolar atmospheric D/H ratios, a relic of substantial gas accretion from the nebula, while the atmospheres of…
We revisit the state of the light element abundances from big bang nucleosynthesis in early 2024 with particular focus on the derived baryon abundance. We find that the largest differences between the final baryon abundances are typically…
We introduce a new statistical method to estimate the primordial helium abundance, Y_p from observed abundances in a sample of galaxies which have experienced stellar helium enrichment. Rather than using linear regression on metal abundance…
Deuterium plays a crucial role in testing big-bang nucleosynthesis. Its chemical evolution, while simple (it is burned to $^3$He), is intertwined with the more complicated evolution of $^3$He. Gloeckler \& Geiss' new measurement of the…
The detection of neutral deuterium in the low-metallicity damped Lyman-{\alpha} system at zabs = 2.621 towards the quasar CTQ247 is reported. Using a high signal-to-noise and high spectral resolution (R = 60000) spectrum from the Very Large…
The simplest, `standard' model of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (SBBN) assumes three light neutrinos (N_nu = 3) and no significant electron neutrino asymmetry, leaving only one adjustable parameter: the baryon to photon ratio eta. The primordial…
High levels of deuterium fraction in N$_2$H$^+$ are observed in some pre-stellar cores. Single-zone chemical models find that the timescale required to reach observed values ($D_{\rm frac}^{{\rm N}_2{\rm H}^+} \equiv {\rm N}_2{\rm D}^+/{\rm…
Comparing the latest observed abundances of 4He and D, we make a ?2 analysis to see whether it is possible to reconcile primordial nucleosynthesis using up-to-date nuclear data of NACRE II and the mean-life of neutrons. If we adopt the…
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…
We present our measurements of the deuterium to hydrogen ratio (D/H) in QSO absorption systems, which give D/H = 3.40 $\pm 0.25 \times 10^{-5}$ based on analysis of four independent systems. We discuss the properties of two systems which…
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…
I show that early-time (pre-recombination) solutions to the Hubble tension are generically expected to increase the preferred baryon density $\omega_b$. This puts these models in tension with Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN), as measurements…
Analyses of spectra obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite, together with spectra from the Copernicus and IMAPS instruments, reveal an unexplained very wide range in the observed deuterium/hydrogen (D/H)…
The light element abundances probe the baryon density of the universe within a few minutes of the Big Bang. Of these relics from the earliest universe, deuterium is the baryometer of choice. By comparing its primordial abundance inferred…