Assessing Big-Bang nucleosynthesis
Abstract
Systematic uncertainties in the light-element abundances and their evolution complicate a rigorous statistical assessment. However, using Bayesian methods we show that the following statement is robust: The predicted and measured abundances are consistent with 95% credibility only if the baryon-to-photon ratio is between 2×10-10 and 6.5×10-10 and the number of light neutrino species is less than 3.9. Our analysis suggests that the 4He abundance may have been systematically underestimated.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- November 1995
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.75.3981
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/9508029
- Bibcode:
- 1995PhRvL..75.3981C
- Keywords:
-
- 98.80.Ft;
- Origin formation and abundances of the elements;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 7 pages, LaTeX(2.09), 6 postscript figures (attached). A postscript version with figures can be found at ftp://astro.uchicago.edu/pub/astro/copi/assessing_BBN . (See the README file for details)