Review of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and Primordial Abundances

Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) is the synthesis of the light nuclei, Deuterium, He3, He4 and Li7, during the first few minutes of the universe. This review concentrates on recent improvements in the measurement of the primordial (after BBN, and prior to modification) abundances of these nuclei. We mention improvement in the standard theory, and the non-standard extensions which are limited by the data. (abridged)Comment: 61 pages, to appear in Physica Script

Detection of Pristine Gas Two Billion Years after the Big Bang

In the current cosmological model, only the three lightest elements were created in the first few minutes after the Big Bang; all other elements were produced later in stars. To date, however, heavy elements have been observed in all astrophysical environments. We report the detection of two gas clouds with no discernible elements heavier than hydrogen. These systems exhibit the lowest heavy-element abundance in the early universe and thus are potential fuel for the most metal poor halo stars. The detection of deuterium in one system at the level predicted by primordial nucleosynthesis provides a direct confirmation of the standard cosmological model. The composition of these clouds further implies that the transport of heavy elements from galaxies to their surroundings is highly inhomogeneous.Comment: 32 pages, 11 figures, SOM included. To appear in Scienc