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

Linear Coasting in Cosmology and SNe Ia

A strictly linear evolution of the cosmological expansion scale factor is a characteristic feature in several classes of alternative gravity theories as also in the standard (big-bang) model with specially chosen equations of state of matter. Such an evolution has no free parameters as far as the classical cosmological tests are concerned and should therefore be easily falsifiable. In this article we demonstrate how such models present very good fits to the current supernovae 1a data. We discuss the overall viability of such models.Comment: 12 latex 2e pages including 5 ps figures. More references and Figuresinclude

Reanalyzing the upper limit on the tensor-to-scalar perturbation ratio r_T in a quartic potential inflationary model

We study the polynomial chaotic inflation model with a single scalar field in a double well quartic potential which has recently been shown to be consistent with Planck data. In particular, we study the effects of lifting the degeneracy between the two vacua on the inflationary observables, i.e. spectral index n_s and tensor-to-scalar perturbation ratio r_T. We find that removing the degeneracy allows the model to satisfy the upper limit constraints on r_T from Planck data, provided the field starts near the local maximum. We also calculate the scalar power spectrum and non-Gaussianity parameter f_NL for the primordial scalar perturbations in this model.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures; v2: discussion added, submitted to Phys. Lett. B; v3: published versio