Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis in Light of Discordant Deuterium Measurements

Abstract

Two dimensional concordance plots involving the baryon-to-photon ratio, $\eta$, and an effective number of light neutrinos, $N_{\nu}$, are used to discuss the overall consistency of standard big-bang nucleosynthesis in light of recent determinations of the primordial deuterium ($^2$H) abundance. Observations of high-redshift Ly-$\alpha$ clouds have provided discordant $^2$H/H determinations: one cloud with $^2$H/H high compared with the previously accepted upper limit on ($^2$H + $^3$He)/H; and one system with a significantly lower upper bound on $^2$H/H than those previously obtained. The high value of $^2$H/H agrees well with the current observationally-inferred primordial abundances of $^4$He and $^7$Li for $N_{\nu}=3$. The low value of $^2$H/H does not fit well with the current observationally-inferred primordial abundance of $^4$He for $N_{\nu}=3$. In addition, if the low value of $^2$H/H is indicative of the primordial deuterium abundance, then significant depletion of $^7$Li in old, hot Pop II halo stars is probably required to obtain a concordant range of $\eta$, for {\em any} effective number of neutrino flavors. The use of conservative ranges for the primordial abundances of $^2$H, $^4$He, and $^7$Li allow success of the standard picture for $N_{\nu}=3$.