The 7Be(d,p)2alpha cross section at Big Bang energies and the primordial 7Li abundance

Abstract

The WMAP satellite, devoted to the observations of the anisotropies of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation, has recently provided a determination of the baryonic density of the Universe with unprecedented precision. Using this, Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) calculations predict a primordial 7Li abundance which is a factor 2-3 higher than that observed in galactic halo dwarf stars. It has been argued that this discrepancy could be resolved if the 7Be(d,p)2alpha reaction rate is around a factor of 100 larger than has previously been considered. We have now studied this reaction, for the first time at energies appropriate to the Big Bang environment, at the CYCLONE radioactive beam facility at Louvain-la-Neuve. The cross section was found to be a factor of 10 smaller than derived from earlier measurements. It is concluded therefore that nuclear uncertainties cannot explain the discrepancy between observed and predicted primordial 7Li abundances, and an alternative astrophysical solution must be investigated.

To appear in Astrophysical J. Letters

References in corpus (13)

• First Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Determination of Cosmological Parameters
• First Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Observations: Preliminary Maps and Basic Results
• Updated Big Bang Nucleosynthesis confronted to WMAP observations and to the Abundance of Light Elements
• Primordial Lithium and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis
• Primordial Nucleosynthesis in Light of WMAP
• Compilation and R-matrix analysis of Big Bang nuclear reaction rates
• Implications of WMAP observations on Li abundance and stellar evolution models
• Reappraising the Spite Lithium Plateau: Extremely Thin and Marginally Consistent with WMAP
• Stellar Mixing and the Primordial Lithium Abundance
• Element Segregation in Low Metallicity Stars and the Primordial Lithium Abundance
• Constraints on Omega_B from the nucleosynthesis of 7Li in the standard Big Bang
• Cosmological Cosmic Rays and the observed Li6 plateau in metal poor halo stars
• Implications of a new temperature scale for halo dwarfs on LiBeB and chemical evolution

Cited by in corpus (40)

• Primordial Nucleosynthesis: from precision cosmology to fundamental physics
• Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis and Gravitino
• Lithium isotopic abundances in metal-poor halo stars
• The Primordial Lithium Problem
• Precision big bang nucleosynthesis with improved Helium-4 predictions
• A Bitter Pill: The Primordial Lithium Problem Worsens
• A probable stellar solution to the cosmological lithium discrepancy
• First stars VII. Lithium in extremely metal poor dwarfs
• Big Bang Nucleosynthesis as a Probe of New Physics
• Standard Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis up to CNO with an improved extended nuclear network
• Coupled Variations of Fundamental Couplings and Primordial Nucleosynthesis
• Big Bang Nucleosynthesis with Long Lived Charged Massive Particles
• The 7Be(n,alpha)4He reaction and the Cosmological Lithium Problem: measurement of the cross section in a wide energy range at n_TOF (CERN)
• Evaluation of Modern 3He(alpha,gamma)7Be Data
• Non-extensive Statistics Solution to the Cosmological Lithium Problem
• Primordial Lithium Abundance in Catalyzed Big Bang Nucleosynthesis
• Cosmic Rays from Dark Matter Annihilation and Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis
• Lithium abundances of halo dwarfs based on excitation temperature. I. LTE
• Possible solution to the ${}^7$Li problem by the long lived stau
• Resonant Destruction as a Possible Solution to the Cosmological Lithium Problem
• New Nuclear Physics for Big Bang Nucleosynthesis
• Solving the cosmic lithium problems with primordial late-decaying particles
• A revised thermonuclear rate of ${}^7$Be($n$,$\alpha$)${}^4$He relevant to Big-Bang nucleosynthesis
• Higher D or Li: Probes of Physics beyond the Standard Model
• One fewer solution to the cosmological lithium problem
• Modified big bang nucleosynthesis with non-standard neutron sources
• Search for new resonant states in 10C and 11C and their impact on the cosmological lithium problem
• Axion Dark Matter and Cosmological Parameters
• Resonant enhancement of nuclear reactions as a possible solution to the cosmological lithium problem
• Thermonuclear reaction rates and primordial nucleosynthesis
• Neutron injection during primordial nucleosynthesis alleviates the primordial 7Li problem
• Mirror matter can alleviate the cosmological lithium problem
• Measurement of $d{+}^7$Be cross sections for Big-Bang nucleosynthesis
• Big-bang nucleosynthesis with a long-lived charged massive particle including ${}^4$He spallation processes
• Lithium abundances of halo dwarfs based on excitation temperatures. II. NLTE
• Recent results in nuclear astrophysics
• Resonance excitations in ${}^7$Be(d,p)${}^8$Be${}^{\ast }$ to address the cosmological lithium problem
• New Thermonuclear Rate of 7Li(d,n)24He relevant to the Cosmological Lithium Problem
• Allowed slepton intergenerational mixing in light of light element abundances
• Study of the ${}^7$Be($d$,${}^3$He)${}^6$Li* reaction at 5 MeV/u