Is all the Deuterium in the Universe cosmological?
Abstract
The observations of deuterium imply that all D was formed in the big-bang and that the Galactic D (HST observations of the Lyman D yield a local ISM (D/H = 1.6 times 10^{-5}).results from infall of primordial gas plus destruction via astration. If D is produced via any stellar or galactic process, then it will be enhanced in active regions such as the Galactic center (GC) or in active galaxies. However a reduced D/H of 1.6 times 10^{-6} was detected in a GC molecular cloud (from DCN) and D (in DCN) has not been detected in the shocked molecular cloud associated with the IC 443 SNR, the protoplanetary nebula AFGL 2688, nor in the active galaxies NGC 253 and IC442 . These results are consistent with D/H in the less Galactic anticenter (D/H = 3.9 times 10^{-5} and D/H 1.5 times 10^{-5} in LMC molecular clouds. This is consistent with QSO absorption studies which yield D/H = (3.5-.2) times 10^{-5}. D has never been detected in stars or HII regions Thus all D is produced in the big-bang and destroyed in stars implying a density < than the critical density necessary to close the Universe and < 4 nu families.
- Publication:
-
19th Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics and Cosmology
- Pub Date:
- December 1998
- Bibcode:
- 1998tx19.confE.601L