Testing the Friedmann equation: The Expansion of the universe during big bang nucleosynthesis

Aug, 2001
18 pages
Published in:
  • Phys.Rev.D 65 (2002) 063507
e-Print:

Citations per year

200120072013201920240246810
Abstract: (arXiv)
In conventional general relativity, the expansion rate H of a Robertson-Walker universe is related to the energy density by the Friedmann equation. Aside from the present day, the only epoch at which we can constrain the expansion history in a model-independent way is during Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN). We consider a simple two-parameter characterization of the behavior of H during BBN and derive constraints on this parameter space, finding that the allowed region of parameter space is essentially one-dimensional. We also study the effects of a large neutrino asymmetry within this framework. Our results provide a simple way to compare an alternative cosmology to the observational requirement of matching the primordial abundances of the light elements.
Note:
  • 18 pages, Final version to be published in Phys. Rev. D
  • 98.80.Es
  • 26.35.+c
  • Friedman model
  • Hubble constant
  • light nucleus: production
  • neutrino antineutrino: asymmetry
  • general relativity
  • energy: density
  • numerical calculations: interpretation of experiments
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