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Title: The excess flux in the cosmic submillimeter background radiation and the primordial deuterium abundance

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5250523
;  [1]
  1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)

Recent measurements of the cosmic background radiation (CBR) show an enhanced flux in the submillimeter regime, compared to the spectrum of a 2.7 K blackbody. Thermal Comptonization of the relic radiation by a hot nonrelativistic plasma has long been known to produce distortions in the CBR spectrum, similar to what has now been observed. Heating of the primeval plasma to temperatures T {approximately} 10{sup 6} {minus} 10{sup 8} K could result from the injection of subcosmic ray protons at epoch z {approximately} 10--100. The intensity of the subcosmic ray flux that provide conditions needed to explain the submillimeter excess by thermal Comptonization also leads to the production of cosmologically significant amounts of deuterium in collisions between subcosmic ray protons and primordial protons and {alpha}-particles. However, the amount of lithium produced through {alpha}-{alpha} reactions is in conflict with the observed Li abundance. If lithium is depleted, for example, by processing through Population II stars, arguments for the baryon content of the universe based on primordial deuterium and He abundances are weakened. 12 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE/DP
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
OSTI ID:
5250523
Report Number(s):
UCRL-102240; CONF-900129-3; ON: DE90003602; TRN: 90-001737
Resource Relation:
Conference: 21. international cosmic ray conference, Adelaide (Australia), 6-19 Jan 1990
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English