Related papers: Deuterium abundance and cosmology
We discuss the measurements of deuterium abundances in high redshift quasar absorbers, in the solar system and in the interstellar medium. We present new results that indicate spatial variations of the deuterium abundance in the…
Two groups have independently reported the possible detection of extragalactic deuterium in the absorption spectrum of the same high redshift, low metalicity QSO. Although the high value for the inferred deuterium abundance poses no…
The primordial deuterium abundance is an important tracer of the fundamental physics taking place during Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. It can be determined from absorption features along the line of sight to distant quasars. The quasar…
The primordial deuterium abundance probes fundamental physics during the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and can be used to infer cosmological parameters. Observationally, the abundance can be measured using absorbing clouds along the lines of…
Deuterium is created during Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, and, in contrast to the other light stable nuclei, can only be destroyed thereafter by fusion in stellar interiors. In this paper we study the cosmic evolution of the deuterium abundance…
The current status of extragalactic deuterium abundance is discussed using two examples of `low' and `high' D/H measurements. We show that the discordance of these two types of D abundances may be a consequence of the spatial correlations…
The comparison of cosmic abundances of the light elements with the density of baryonic stars and gas in the universe today provides a critical test of big bang theory and a powerful probe of the nature of dark matter. A new technique allows…
Galactic destruction of primordial deuterium is inevitably linked through star formation to the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. The relatively high present gas content and low metallicity suggest only modest D-destruction. In concert with…
Of the light elements, the primordial abundance of deuterium, (D/H)_p, provides the most sensitive diagnostic for the cosmological mass density parameter Omega_B. Recent high redshift (D/H) measurements are highly discrepant, although this…
Deuterium abundances measured recently from QSO absorption-line systems lie in the range from 3 10^{-5} to 3 10^{-4}, which shed some questions on standard big bang theory. We show that this discordance may simply be an artifact caused by…
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)…
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…
(Abridged) Estimates of the interstellar deuterium abundance span a wide range of values. Here we study the evolution of deuterium in the framework of successful models for the chemical evolution of the Milky Way able to reproduce the…
Recent HST/GHRS observations of the z = 0.7010 absorber toward the QSO 1718+4807 (selected because of apparently ideal characteristics for measuring D/H) yield a D/H significantly higher D/H than some recent high-redshift measurements. Our…
Plausible ratios of deuterium to hydrogen D/H as a function of metallicity, time, and redshift are investigated. Guided by the heavy element abundance patterns observed locally in Galactic dwarf stars and at large redshift in quasi-stellar…
The first observations of deuterium and oxygen in the Local Interstellar Medium (LISM) obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) can be used to search for local abundance variations. While the very limited sample of…
Spectra of quasars at high redshift with high resolution and high signal-to-noise allow in favorable circumstances detection of absorption by deuterium and ultimately measurement of its primordial abundance. Ultraviolet spectra of high…
It is widely believed that the cosmic baryon density may be obtained by inferring deuterium abundances in low-metallicity quasar absorption line systems. The implicit assumptions which enter this argument are critically assessed. In…
Estimates of the deuterium abundance in quasar absorbers are reviewed, including a brief account of incorrect claims published by the author and a brief review of the problem of hydrogen contamination. It is concluded that the primordial…
We present a new analysis of a Keck spectrum of Q0014+813, with a new model of the $z=3.32$ absorbing cloud. We fit Lyman series absorption of the dominant HI components, including components identified with hydrogen and associated…