Primordial Nucleosynthesis with a Decaying Tau Neutrino
| dc.creator | Dodelson, S. | |
| dc.creator | Gyuk, G. | |
| dc.creator | Turner, M. S. | |
| dc.date | 1993-12-28 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-07-07T10:34:49Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-07-07T10:34:49Z | |
| dc.description | A comprehensive study of the effect of an unstable tau neutrino on primordial nucleosynthesis is presented. The standard code for nucleosynthesis is modified to allow for a massive decaying tau neutrino whose daughter products include neutrinos, photons, $e^\pm$ pairs, and/or noninteracting (sterile) daughter products. Tau-neutrino decays influence primordial nucleosynthesis in three distinct ways: (i) the energy density of the decaying tau neutrino and its daughter products affect the expansion rate tending to increase $^4$He, D, and $^3$He production; (ii) electromagnetic (EM) decay products heat the EM plasma and dilute the baryon-to-photon ratio tending to decrease $^4$He production and increase D and $^3$He production; and (iii) electron neutrinos and antineutrinos produced by tau-neutrino decays increase the weak rates that govern the neutron-to-proton ratio, leading to decreased $^4$He production for short lifetimes ($\la 30\sec$) and masses less than about $10\MeV$ and increased $^4$He production for long lifetimes or large masses. The precise effect of a decaying tau neutrino on the yields of primordial nucleosynthesis and the mass-lifetime limits that follow depend crucially upon decay mode. We identify four generic decay modes that serve to bracket the wider range of possibilities: | |
| dc.description | 27 pages, Latex, 12 Figures avaiable on request, FNAL--Pub--93/236-A | |
| dc.identifier | https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9312062 | |
| dc.identifier | http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9312062 | |
| dc.identifier | Phys.Rev.D49:5068-5079,1994 | |
| dc.identifier | doi:10.1103/PhysRevD.49.5068 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/179565 | |
| dc.subject | Astrophysics | |
| dc.subject | High Energy Physics - Phenomenology | |
| dc.title | Primordial Nucleosynthesis with a Decaying Tau Neutrino | |
| dc.type | text |