Testing the Creation of the Universe: The Primordial Helium Abundance

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Autor principal: R. P. Bauman
Formato: Artículo científico
Lenguaje:en
Publicado: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México 2003
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author R. P. Bauman
author_facet R. P. Bauman
contents Testing the Creation of the Universe: The Primordial Helium Abundance R. P. Bauman K. B. MacAdam G. J. Ferland Física, Astronomía y Matemáticas H II Regions ISM: Abundances Radiation Mechanisms Precision measurement of the primordial abundance of the light elements is one of the fundamental tests of the Big Bang. The primordial abundance of helium, Yp, the ratio of He to H by mass, is measured from emission lines that form during the recombination-decay process, He++e- → Heº (nL)+hv, followed by radiative cascade. A definitive test of the Big Bang requires an accuracy of 1% or better. Yp is measured from ratios of intensities of He I and H I recombination lines in H II regions. The density ratio n(He+)/n(H+) is proportional to the observed line intensities and the inverse ratio of recombination coeficients. All previous studies of He I recombination coeficients have assumed that the triplets and singlets are distinct radiative cascade systems that communicate only through electron exchange collisions. Actually, certain large-angular-momentum levels have strongly mixed spin multiplicities, leading to conventional electric-dipole decays that act to mix the singlets and triplets. We present tentative calculations of He I recombination coeficients at a temperature 10,000 K in "Case B". Changes 1% or greater are anticipated, and changes of this magnitude may affect the deduced Yp by cosmologically significant amounts. 2003 artículo científico 0185-1101 https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=57101804 en http://www.redalyc.org/revista.oa?id=571 Revista Mexicana de Astronomía y Astrofísica application/pdf Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Revista Mexicana de Astronomía y Astrofísica (México) Vol.18
format Artículo científico
id redalyc_57101804
institution Redalyc
language en
publishDate 2003
publisher Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
spellingShingle Testing the Creation of the Universe: The Primordial Helium Abundance
R. P. Bauman
Física, Astronomía y Matemáticas
H II Regions
ISM: Abundances
Radiation Mechanisms
Testing the Creation of the Universe: The Primordial Helium Abundance R. P. Bauman K. B. MacAdam G. J. Ferland Física, Astronomía y Matemáticas H II Regions ISM: Abundances Radiation Mechanisms Precision measurement of the primordial abundance of the light elements is one of the fundamental tests of the Big Bang. The primordial abundance of helium, Yp, the ratio of He to H by mass, is measured from emission lines that form during the recombination-decay process, He++e- → Heº (nL)+hv, followed by radiative cascade. A definitive test of the Big Bang requires an accuracy of 1% or better. Yp is measured from ratios of intensities of He I and H I recombination lines in H II regions. The density ratio n(He+)/n(H+) is proportional to the observed line intensities and the inverse ratio of recombination coeficients. All previous studies of He I recombination coeficients have assumed that the triplets and singlets are distinct radiative cascade systems that communicate only through electron exchange collisions. Actually, certain large-angular-momentum levels have strongly mixed spin multiplicities, leading to conventional electric-dipole decays that act to mix the singlets and triplets. We present tentative calculations of He I recombination coeficients at a temperature 10,000 K in "Case B". Changes 1% or greater are anticipated, and changes of this magnitude may affect the deduced Yp by cosmologically significant amounts. 2003 artículo científico 0185-1101 https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=57101804 en http://www.redalyc.org/revista.oa?id=571 Revista Mexicana de Astronomía y Astrofísica application/pdf Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Revista Mexicana de Astronomía y Astrofísica (México) Vol.18
title Testing the Creation of the Universe: The Primordial Helium Abundance
topic Física, Astronomía y Matemáticas
H II Regions
ISM: Abundances
Radiation Mechanisms
url https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=57101804