Comment on "Measurement of d + 7Be Cross Sections for Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis"

TL;DR

This paper critically evaluates recent measurements of the d + 7Be reaction rate for Big-Bang nucleosynthesis, finding that the impact on lithium production is minimal and does not resolve the cosmological lithium problem.

Contribution

It provides a reanalysis confirming that the recent reaction rate measurements have negligible effect on lithium abundance predictions.

Findings

Reaction rate impact on lithium is less than 1%.

Recent measurements do not solve the lithium problem.

Confirms previous studies with well-tested BBN codes.

Abstract

In a recent Letter entitled "Measurement of d + 7Be Cross Sections for Big-Bang Nucleosynthesis", Rijal et al. describe the results of an experiment that put the d + 7Be reaction rate on firmer ground. The erratum of Rijal et al. claims that including this reaction rate in big bang nucleosynthesis brings a significant reduction of up to 8.1% of lithium production relative to calculations that exclude this reaction. In contrast, using several well tested BBN codes, we confirm earlier studies showing that the effect is less than 1%, so that this measurement cannot alleviate the cosmological lithium problem.