Publication | Open Access
The quark-hadron phase transition and primordial nucleosynthesis
221
Citations
0
References
1987
Year
Cosmic AbundanceEngineeringHadron PhysicPhysicsHadron PhysicsCosmologyNuclear DataParticle PhysicsQuark-hadron Phase TransitionNuclear TheoryNatural SciencesLow-energy Nuclear StructureCoexistence TemperaturesNucleosynthesisEarly UniverseBig Bang Cosmology
The quark‑hadron phase transition in the early universe is modeled using the bag model for the quark‑gluon plasma and the known hadronic spectrum. The study examines how primordial nucleosynthesis proceeds within this phase‑transition parameter space. The model varies the bag constant and the fraction of high‑baryon‑density volume remaining after quark‑gluon plasma decoupling. At high coexistence temperatures the baryon fluctuations are small and standard BBN is recovered, whereas at lower temperatures inhomogeneities produce light‑element abundances consistent with observations (except for an overproduction of Li‑7). Published in The Astrophysical Journal, September 1987 (DOI 10.1086/165560).
view Abstract Citations (265) References (24) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS The Quark-Hadron Phase Transition and Primordial Nucleosynthesis Alcock, C. ; Fuller, G. M. ; Mathews, G. J. Abstract A simple model for the quark-hadron phase transition is constructed based on the bag model for the quark-gluon plasma, the known spectrum of hadronic states, and elementary statistical techniques. The most important parameters are the bag constant and the fraction of the volume of the universe which is in high baryon density regions left over from the decoupling of the quark-gluon plasma. Primordial nucleosynthesis is investigated in this parameter space. For high coexistence temperatures characteristic of a large bag constant, it is found that the isothermal baryon number fluctuations are small and standard big bang nucleosynthesis is recovered. For coexistence temperatures not much greater than those derived from the standard MIT bag model, it is confirmed that isothermal baryon inhomogeneities lead to prediction of primordial nucleosynthesis consistent with most light-element abundances, even with Omega(b) = 1, but with an overproduction of Li-7. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: September 1987 DOI: 10.1086/165560 Bibcode: 1987ApJ...320..439A Keywords: Big Bang Cosmology; Hadrons; Nuclear Fusion; Phase Transformations; Quarks; Statistical Mechanics; Baryons; Cosmic Plasma; Particle Density (Concentration); Astrophysics; COSMOLOGY; ELEMENTARY PARTICLES; NUCLEOSYNTHESIS full text sources ADS |