Content deleted Content added
ref arXiv |
Changing short description from "Discrepancy between the observed abundance of lithium produced in Big Bang nucleosynthesis and the amount that should theoretically exist." to "Problem in astronomy" (Shortdesc helper) |
||
Line 1:
{{Short description|Problem in astronomy}}
In [[astronomy]], the '''lithium problem''' or '''lithium discrepancy''' refers to the discrepancy between the primordial [[Abundance of the chemical elements|abundance]] of [[lithium]] as inferred from observations of metal-poor ([[Stellar population|Population II]]) [[Stellar halo|halo stars]] in our galaxy and the amount that should theoretically exist due to [[Big Bang nucleosynthesis]]+[[Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe|WMAP]] cosmic baryon density predictions of the [[Cosmic microwave background|CMB]]. Namely, the most widely accepted models of the Big Bang suggest that three times as much primordial lithium, in particular [[lithium-7]], should exist. This contrasts with the observed abundance of isotopes of [[hydrogen]] (<sup>1</sup>H and [[deuterium|<sup>2</sup>H]]) and [[helium]] ([[helium-3|<sup>3</sup>He]] and [[helium-4|<sup>4</sup>He]]) that are consistent with predictions.<ref name=HouStats>{{cite journal |last=Hou |first=S. Q. |last2=He |first2=J.J. |last3=Parikh |first3=A. |last4=Kahl |first4=D. |last5=Bertulani |first5=C.A. |last6=Kajino |first6=T. |last7=Mathews |first7=G.J. |last8=Zhao |first8=G. |date=2017 |title=Non-extensive statistics to the cosmological lithium problem |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=834 |issue=2 |pages= 165|doi=10.3847/1538-4357/834/2/165 |bibcode=2017ApJ...834..165H |arxiv=1701.04149 }}</ref> The discrepancy is highlighted in a so-called "Schramm plot", named in honor of astrophysicist [[David Schramm (astrophysicist)|David Schramm]], which depicts these primordial abundances as a function of cosmic baryon content from standard [[Big Bang nucleosynthesis|BBN]] predictions.
| |||