Primordial Neutrinos
Abstract
Description
The connection between cosmological observations and neutrino physics is discussed in detail. Neutrinos decouple from thermal contact in the early Universe at a temperature of order 1 MeV which coincides with the temperature where light element synthesis occurs. Observation of light element abundances therefore provides important information on such properties as neutrino energy density and chemical potential. Precision observations of the cosmic microwave background and large scale structure of galaxies can be used to probe neutrino masses with greater precision than current laboratory experiments. In this review I discuss current cosmological bounds on neutrino properties, as well as possible bounds from upcoming measurements.
50 pages, 3 figures, for Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science
50 pages, 3 figures, for Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science