Related papers: Is Primordial He Truly from Big Bang ?
The Pop III.1 theory for supermassive black hole (SMBH) formation predicts that a substantial fraction of the early universe was ionized by supermassive stars at redshifts $z\sim20-30$, an era we refer to as ``The Flash''. This is followed…
We include new data in an updated analysis of helium in low metallicity extragalactic HII regions with the goal of deriving the primordial abundance of He4 (Y_P). We show that the new observations of Izotov et al (ITL) are consistent with…
Cosmological simulations of Population (Pop) III star formation suggest that the primordial initial mass function may have extended to sub-solar masses. If Pop III stars with masses < 0.8 M_Sun did form, then they should still be present in…
A few topics concerning the early chemical evolution of the Milky Way are critically discussed. In particular, it is argued that: 1) Observed abundance patterns of extremely metal poor stars (of Pop. II) do not constrain the mass range of…
Ground- and space-based observations of stellar heavy element abundances are providing a clearer picture of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. A large number of (r)apid and (s)low neutron capture process elements, including the first…
With the first metal enrichment by Population (Pop) III supernovae (SNe), the formation of the first metal-enriched, Pop II stars becomes possible. In turn, Pop III star formation and early metal enrichment are slowed by the high energy…
We propose a novel cosmological scenario in which baryonic neutron stars could plausibly form in the early universe. If baryogenesis initially produces an excessively-large baryon asymmetry, $Y_B \gg 10^{-10},$ the baryonic mass inside the…
The predictions of Standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis are summarized and compared with observations of abundances of helium in HII regions, deuterium in quasar absorbers, deuterium and helium-3 in the Galaxy, and lithium in metal-poor stars.…
Primordial nucleosynthesis provides a probe of the Universe during its early evolution. Given the progress exploring the constituents, structure, and recent evolution of the Universe, it is timely to review the status of Big Bang…
The birth and death of the first generation of stars have important implications for the thermal state and chemical properties of the intergalactic medium (IGM) in the early universe. Sometime after recombination, the neutral, chemically…
The recent discovery of the extremely lensed Earendel object at $z=6.2$ is remarkable in that it is likely a single star or stellar multiple, observed within the first billion years of cosmic history. Depending on its mass, which is still…
The primordial abundance of $^4$He plays a central role in big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) and in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The LBT $Y_{\rm p}$ Project's new measurement of the primordial $^4$He mass fraction $Y_{\rm p} =0.2458…
In the present work the primordial Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) and weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter are discussed in a certain class of modified gravitational theories, namely $f(R) \sim R^n$ gravity. The new…
Pop III stars are typically massive stars of primordial composition forming at the centers of the first collapsed dark matter structures. Here we estimate the optimal X-ray emission in the early universe for promoting the formation of Pop…
Recently it is reported that there is the discrepancy between big bang nucleosynthesis theory and observations (BBN crisis). We show that BBN predictions agree with the primordial abundances of light elements, He4, D, He3 and Li7 inferred…
We discuss some aspects concerning the formation and the impact of the first luminous structures in the universe (PopIIIs), with particular emphasis on their feedback effects on subsequent galaxy formation. We argue that supernovae in these…
Big Bang Nucleosynthesis represents perhaps the first, and still perhaps the most powerful particle-astrophysics connection. As such, it should provide an example for other work in this area. I discuss the current status of standard model…
I review standard big bang nucleosynthesis and some versions of nonstandard BBN. The abundances of the primordial isotopes D, He-3, and Li-7 produced in standard BBN can be calculated as a function of the baryon density with an accuracy of…
Photoionized nebulae comprise basically HII regions and planetary nebulae, and their abundances give important clues on the nucleosynthesis and chemical evolution of their host galaxies. There is presently a large amount of data on these…
Assuming the lightest neutralino forms dark matter, we study its residual annihilation after freeze-out at the early universe. If taking place after the big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) the annihilation products, especially at the hadronic…