Constraints on Lepton Asymmetry from Nucleosynthesis in a Linearly Coasting Cosmology

We study the effect of neutrino degeneracy on primordial nucleosynthesis in a universe in which the cosmological scale factor evolves linearly with time. The degeneracy parameter of electron type neutrinos ($\xi_e$) determines the $n/p$ (neutron to proton) ratio, which in turn determines the abundance of $^4$He in a manner quite distinct from the Standard Scenario. The observed abundances of $^4$He, $\mathrm{Y}_P$=0.254$\pm$0.003, and the minimum metallicity that is essential for fragmentation and cooling processes in star forming prestellar gas clouds (Z = Z$_{cr}$ = 10$^{-6}$Z$_\odot$), constrain the baryon to photon ratio, $\eta_B$=(3.927$\pm$0.292)10$^{-9}$, corresponding to a baryonic matter density, $\Omega_B$=0.263$\pm$ 0.026 and $\xi_e$=-2.165$\pm$0.171. This closes the dynamic mass estimates of matter in the universe by baryons alone. Useful byproducts are the threshold X(CNO) abundances required to trigger the CNO cycle in the observed low metallicity stars in the universe.Comment: 18 Pages, 9 Figures. Matches published versio

Coulomb screening in linear coasting nucleosynthesis

We investigate the impact of coulomb screening on primordial nucleosynthesis in a universe having scale factor that evolves linearly with time. Coulomb screening affects primordial nucleosynthesis via enhancement of thermonuclear reaction rates. This enhancement is determined by the solving Poisson equation within the context of mean field theory (under appropriate conditions during the primordial nucleosynthesis). Using these results, we claim that the mean field estimates of coulomb screening hardly affect the predicted element abundances and nucleosynthesis parameters$, \{\eta_9,\xi_e\}$. The deviations from mean field estimates are also studied in detail by boosting genuine screening results with the screening parameter ($\omega_s$). These deviations show negligible effect on the element abundances and on nucleosynthesis parameters. This work thus rules out the coulomb screening effects on primordial nucleosynthesis in slow evolving models and confirms that constraints in ref.[7] on nucleosynthesis parameters remain unaltered.Comment: 14 pages,11 figur