Related papers: Did the Universe start at Zero Metallicity?
The determination of the primeval deuterium abundance has opened a precision era in big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), making accurate predictions more important than ever before. We present in analytic form new, more precise predictions for…
Using the cosmological constants derived from WMAP, the standard big bang nucleosynthesis (SBBN) predicts the light elements primordial abundances for 4He, 3He, D, 6Li and 7Li. These predictions are in satisfactory agreement with the…
We report the results on Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) based on an updated code, with accuracy of the order of 0.1% on He4 abundance, compared with the predictions of other recent similar analysis. We discuss the compatibility of the…
The present-day Universe appears to be homogeneous on very large scales. Yet when the casual structure of the early Universe is considered, it becomes apparent that the early Universe must have been highly inhomogeneous. The current…
Minutes into the big bang, nucleosynthesis finds 96 percent of matter nonreactive. Massive pure disk protogalaxies must be formed in the early universe as their galaxies are found at high redshift. Surrounded by hot gas, they made little…
An introductory review of the early evolution of the Universe relevant to the primordial synthesis of the light nuclides deuterium, helium-3, helium-4 and lithium-7. The predictions of the element abundances in the "standard", hot, big bang…
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…
The origin of the hot phase of the early universe remains so far an unsolved puzzle. A viable option is entropy production through the decays of heavy Majorana neutrinos whose lifetimes determine the initial temperature. We show that…
Primordial star formation appears to result in stars at least an order of magnitude more massive than modern star formation. It has been proposed that the transition from primordial to modern initial mass functions occurs due to the onset…
The discovery and confirmation that some nuclides were formed soon after the Big Bang is one of the strongest arguments in favour of the Hot Big Bang theory. The process of combining protons and neutrons in a hot, expanding universe is…
Primordial or Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) is one of the three historical strong evidences for the Big-Bang model together with the expansion of the Universe and the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation (CMB). The recent results by the…
We outline how relic neutrino asymmetries may be generated in the early universe via active-sterile neutrino oscillations. We discuss possible consequences for big bang nucleosynthesis, within the context of a particular 4-neutrino 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…
We calculate primordial abundances of light elements produced during big bang nucleosynthesis when the fine structure constant and/or the cosmic expansion rate take non-standard values. We compare them with the recent values of observed D,…
A detailed analysis of primordial nucleosynthesis predictions for light element abundances is performed. Contents: 1. The standard cosmology: an overview. 2. Primordial nucleosynthesis. 3. The Born rates for n<->p reactions. 4. Finite…
We study the effects of dark-matter annihilation during the epoch of big-bang nucleosynthesis on the primordial abundances of light elements. We improve the calculation of the light-element abundances by taking into account the effects of…
We re-examine neutrino oscillations in the early universe. Contrary to previous studies, we show that large neutrino asymmetries can arise due to oscillations between ordinary neutrinos and sterile neutrinos. This means that the Big Bang…
Big Bang Nucleosynthesis imposes stringent bounds on light sterile neutrinos mixing with the active flavors. Here we discuss how altered dispersion relations can weaken such bounds and allow compatibility of new sterile neutrino degrees of…
We examine the Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) process in the presence of small-scale baryon inhomogeneities. Primordial abundance yields for D, He4, Li6, Li7, Be9, and B11 are computed for wide ranges of parameters characterizing the…
Primordial or big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) is one of the three historical strong evidences for the big bang model. The recent results by the Planck satellite mission have slightly changed the estimate of the baryonic density compared to…