Deuterium at high-redshift: Primordial abundance in the zabs = 2.621 damped Ly-alpha system towards CTQ247

Abstract

The detection of neutral deuterium in the low-metallicity damped Lyman-α system at zabs = 2.621 towards the quasar CTQ247 is reported. Using a high signal-to-noise and high spectral resolution (R = 60000) spectrum from the Very Large Telescope Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph, we precisely measure the deuterium-to-oxygen ratio log N(DI)/N(OI) = 0.74+/-0.04, as well as the overall oxygen abundance, log N(OI)/N(HI)=-5.29+/-0.10 (or equivalently [O/H]=-1.99+/-0.10 with respect to the solar value). Assuming uniform metallicity throughout the system, our measurement translates to (D/H) = (2.8+0.8 -0.6)x10^-5. This ratio is consistent within errors (<0.4sigma) with the primordial ratio, (D/H)p = (2.59+/-0.15)x10^-5, predicted by standard Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis using the WMAP7 value of the cosmological density of baryons (100 Omega_b h^2 = 2.249+/-0.056). The DI absorption lines are observed to be broader than the OI absorption lines. From a consistent fit of the profiles we derive the turbulent broadening to be 5.2 km/s and the temperature of the gas to be T = 8800+/-1500 K, corresponding to a warm neutral medium.

Accepted for publication in A&A Letters

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