Light element abundances for He3/H?

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SUMMARY

The absence of the yellow box for He3/H in the Schram plot indicates a lack of direct observational data for this ratio, which is crucial for understanding the cosmological lithium problem. The Schram plot compares observed abundances of light elements, including lithium, helium, and deuterium, against predictions from Big Bang nucleosynthesis. He3, a rare isotope of helium, is challenging to measure due to its low abundance and the influence of astrophysical processes like stellar nucleosynthesis and cosmic ray interactions. Ongoing research and technological advancements may eventually yield more accurate measurements of He3 abundance.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Big Bang nucleosynthesis
  • Familiarity with the Schram plot and its significance
  • Knowledge of light element abundances, specifically He3 and He4
  • Basic principles of stellar nucleosynthesis and cosmic ray interactions
NEXT STEPS
  • Research advancements in measuring He3 abundance in astrophysics
  • Study the implications of light element abundances on cosmological models
  • Explore the role of cosmic ray interactions in element formation
  • Learn about the latest technologies used in observational cosmology
USEFUL FOR

Astronomers, astrophysicists, and researchers focused on cosmology and the study of light element abundances will benefit from this discussion.

Aidyan
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I'm trying to understand the Schram plot, which is the graph of wiki here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmological_lithium_problem
I do not understand why the yellow box (the observed light element abundance) for H3/H (red stripe) is absent? Is there any reason for this?

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The light element abundance for He3/H is an important parameter in understanding the Schram plot and the cosmological lithium problem. The Schram plot is a graph that compares the observed abundances of light elements, such as lithium, helium, and deuterium, with the predictions of Big Bang nucleosynthesis.

The yellow box in the Schram plot represents the observed abundances of light elements, and the red stripe represents the predicted abundances based on Big Bang nucleosynthesis. The absence of the yellow box for He3/H indicates that there is currently no direct observational data for this ratio.

This is due to the difficulty in measuring the abundance of He3 in the universe. He3 is a rare isotope of helium and is not as abundant as He4. The abundance of He3 in the universe is also affected by various astrophysical processes, such as stellar nucleosynthesis and cosmic ray interactions.

Therefore, while the observed abundances of other light elements, such as lithium and deuterium, have been measured and are included in the yellow box, the abundance of He3 is still uncertain and is not included in the Schram plot. However, ongoing research and advancements in technology may provide more accurate measurements of the He3 abundance in the future, which could help to further understand the cosmological lithium problem.
 

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