Primordial Nucleosynthesis After WMAP

TL;DR

This paper reviews how observations of primordial light elements and cosmic microwave background radiation from the early Universe can test and constrain standard cosmological and particle physics models, shedding light on physics beyond current theories.

Contribution

It discusses the implications of WMAP data on primordial nucleosynthesis and how these observations refine our understanding of early Universe physics.

Findings

WMAP data constrains baryon density

Primordial element abundances support standard cosmology

Limits on new physics beyond the Standard Model

Abstract

During its early evolution, the hot, dense Universe provided a laboratory for probing fundamental physics at high energies. By studying the relics from those early epochs, such as the light elements synthesized during primordial nucleosynthesis when the Universe was only a few minutes old, and the relic, cosmic microwave photons, last scattered when the protons, alphas, and electrons (re)combined some 400 thousand years later, the evolution of the Universe may be used to test the standard models of cosmology and particle physics and to set constraints on proposals of physics beyond these standard models.