The Deuterium to Hydrogen ratio: A gateway to new Physics

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Dr. Tytler and his team will make new high accuracy measurements, using quasar absorption lines, of the primordial ratio of Deuterium to Hydrogen with the goal of finding new physics beyond the standard model of particle physics. Using a baryon density derived from the WMAP satellite, Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) for the first time predicts the D/H ratio with no free parameters. This program will test whether the D/H measurements agree with this prediction, either validating our current understanding of BBN, or uncovering new physics. The D/H measurements could reveal a wide variety of new physics, including new types of particles (sterile neutrinos), a difference in the numbers of neutrinos and antineutrinos, long lived decaying particles and deviations from general relativity. The primary broader impact of this proposal is training of undergraduate students in research.