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Introductory Astronomy: Week 8: Cosmology Clip 7: Big Bang Nucleosynthesis

1) Big Bang nucleosynthesis explains the abundances of light elements like hydrogen, deuterium, helium, and lithium formed in the early universe during the first 20 minutes when it was hot and dense enough for nuclear fusion. 2) As the universe expanded and cooled, the rates of the nuclear reactions that formed elements dropped off. This produced the observed ratios of hydrogen, deuterium, helium, and lithium left over from the Big Bang. 3) Calculations of Big Bang nucleosynthesis are sensitive to details but can account for the primordial abundances of light elements observed today, providing support for the Big Bang model of cosmology.

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Cesar Santiago Bolaño Salazar
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21 views

Introductory Astronomy: Week 8: Cosmology Clip 7: Big Bang Nucleosynthesis

1) Big Bang nucleosynthesis explains the abundances of light elements like hydrogen, deuterium, helium, and lithium formed in the early universe during the first 20 minutes when it was hot and dense enough for nuclear fusion. 2) As the universe expanded and cooled, the rates of the nuclear reactions that formed elements dropped off. This produced the observed ratios of hydrogen, deuterium, helium, and lithium left over from the Big Bang. 3) Calculations of Big Bang nucleosynthesis are sensitive to details but can account for the primordial abundances of light elements observed today, providing support for the Big Bang model of cosmology.

Uploaded by

Cesar Santiago Bolaño Salazar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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lnLroducLory AsLronomy

Week 8: Cosmology
Cllp 7: 8lg 8ang nucleosynLhesls
1
Alpher, Camow 1948
lor a brlef ume unlverse was hoL and dense as sLellar lnLerlors:
luslon everywhere
Can 8lg 8ang nucleosynLhesls explaln abundances of Lhe elemenLs?
arually. 1rlple-alpha process noL eecuve.
redlcL Pellum abundance
Assume: 1hermal equlllbrlum ln expandlng aL unlverse
Plgh 1: number denslues of relauvlsuc parucles slmllar (SLefan-
8olLzmann)
Low 1: number denslues of nonrelauvlsuc parucles
2
n
A
e
m
A
c
2
/k
B
T
n
A
(k
B
T)
3
arucle C n
e
n

n

Mass Mc
2
/k
8
g
1 0 0 0 933 2
0 0 0 0 938 2
-1 1 0 0 0.311 2
0 1 0 0 ? 1
-1 0 1 0 106 2
0 0 1 0 ? 1
1,0,-1 0 0 1 1777 1
0 0 0 0 0 2
Who's 8adlauon?
3
p
n
e

10
13
T
p
+ 1.5 10
10
5.93 10
9
0?
0?
1.22 10
12
1.6 10
12
0
Cosmlc neuLrlnos
AL all specles ln Lhermal
equlllbrlum wlLh anuparucles presenL.
8y muons annlhllaLe
8y neuLrlnos decouple
8y elecLrons annlhllaLe produclng
phoLons
4
T > 10
12
K; t 10
4
s
T 10
11
K; t 10
3
s
N
n
N
p
= e
(m
n
m
p
)c
2
/k
B
T
= e
1.510
10
K/T
1
N
n
/N
p
0.86
T 3 10
10
K; t 0.1 s
N
n
/N
p
0.6
T 5 10
9
K; t 10 s
T

/T

= 1.4
Alpher, 8eLhe, Camow 1948
ln a hoL dense early unlverse,
proLons and neuLrons ln chemlcal equlllbrlum
under
8elow Lhese slow as neuLrlnos decouple
and soon Lhereaer mosL elecLrons gone
3
n +e
+
p +
e
n +
e
p +e

10
12
K 10
4
s
10
10
K
N
n
/N
p
0.223
nuclel
ueuLerlum sLable aer
neuLrons have decayed ( )
Lssenually all remalnlng neuLrons blnd Lo form
deuLerlum
and Lhen Pellum
6
T 10
9
K; t 180 s
t
1/2
= 614 s
2
1
H+
2
1
H
3
1
H+
1
1
H
3
1
H+
2
1
H
4
2
He +n
2
1
H+
2
1
H
3
2
He +n
3
2
He +
2
1
H
4
2
He +
1
1
H
N
n
/N
p
= 0.122
Pellum lracuon
Pellum fracuon ls
Pellum mass fracuon ls
Close Lo observed. More rened
calculauon produces agreemenL
lnsensluve Lo deLalls
7
0.122/2
1 (3/2) 0.122
= 0.0747
4 0.0747 = 0.299
0.24
CLher nuclel
luslon beyond Pellum
lnemclenL
1race abundances of
deuLerlum LhaL falled Lo
fuse sensluve Lo
88n consLralns
cosmology and parucle
physlcs
8
=
Db,0
/
R,0

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