# A DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE NEUTRON TO PROTON RATIO AT THE ONSET OF PRIMORDIAL NUCLEOSYNTHESIS 11footnote 1Talk given by S. Esposito at Second Meeting on New Worlds in Astroparticle Physics, September 1998, Faro, Portugal.

## 1 Introduction

The more recent data on $`{}_{}{}^{4}He`$ mass fraction and D abundance produced during Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) are still controversial, since there are two different sets of results mutually incompatible 

$`Y_p`$ $`=`$ $`0.234\pm 0.0054,D/H=(1.9\pm 0.4)10^4;`$   
$`Y_p`$ $`=`$ $`0.243\pm 0.003,D/H=(3.40\pm 0.25)10^5;`$ (1.1)   
It is possible that forthcoming measurements from high-redshift, low-metallicity QSO, or better understanding of the present data will clarify the situation. The fact which however is emerging from the above results is that Helium data are now reaching a precision of one per mille, requiring a similar effort in reducing the theoretical uncertainties. The $`{}_{}{}^{4}He`$ mass fraction $`Y_p`$ crucially depends on the ratio $`n/p`$ at the weak interaction freeze–out. To reach a precision of the order of $`10^4`$ it is demanding to analyze with an accuracy of one percent the rates of processes converting $`np`$, i.e. $`\nu _ene^{}p`$, $`\overline{\nu }_e\text{ }pe^+n`$ and $`ne^{}\overline{\nu }_e\text{ }p`$. This means that the simple Born approximation rate $`\omega _B`$, i.e. the tree level $`VA`$ interaction in the infinite mass limit for nucleons, should be corrected via the inclusion of several radiative and non radiative effects. We will report on the results of a recent evaluation of all the above corrections . For an extensive discussion, as well as a detailed analysis of the calculation, see reference 2.

## 2 Corrections to Born rates and $`{}_{}{}^{4}He`$ mass fraction

Leading corrections to the weak rates of neutron decay and electron and neutrino capture processes can be classified as follows:

* order $`\alpha `$ radiative corrections $`\mathrm{\Delta }\omega _R`$. These effects have been extensively studied in literature and can be classified in outer factors, involving the nucleon as a whole, and inner  ones, which instead depend on the details of nucleon internal structure. Other small effects are actually expected at higher order in $`\alpha `$, since, for example, the estimated value of the neutron lifetime is compatible with the experimental value $`\tau _n^{exp}`$ at 4-$`\sigma `$ level only. These additional contributions are usually taken into account by eliminating the coupling in front of the reaction rates in favour of $`\tau _n^{exp}`$. In Figure 1 we report the result of our calculation  for $`\mathrm{\Delta }\omega _R`$ as a function of the ratio $`T/m_e`$.
* All Born amplitudes should be also corrected for nucleon finite mass effects $`\mathrm{\Delta }\omega _K`$. They affect the allowed phase space as well as the weak amplitudes, which should now include the contribution of nucleon weak magnetism. Initial nucleons with finite mass will also have a thermal distribution in the comoving frame, over which it is necessary to average the transition probabilities. All these effects are of the order of $`T/M_N`$ or $`m_e/M_N`$, with $`M_N`$ the nucleon mass. The percent corrections $`\mathrm{\Delta }\omega _K/\omega _B`$ are reported in Figure 2.
* Since all reactions take place in a thermal bath of electron, positron, neutrinos, antineutrinos and photons, finite density and temperature radiative effects $`\mathrm{\Delta }\omega _T`$ should be also included; these corrections, of the order of $`\alpha (T/m_e)`$, account for the electromagnetic interactions of the in/out particles, involved in the microscopic weak processes $`np`$, with the surrounding medium. They can be evaluated in the real time formalism for finite temperature field theory . As can be seen in Figure 3, these corrections only represents $`0.2÷0.3\%`$ of the corresponding Born rates at the freeze out temperature $`T1MeV`$.

The corrections to the $`np`$ rates may produce a sensible effect on the $`{}_{}{}^{4}He`$ mass fraction $`Y_p`$, which is strongly dependent on the neutron fraction $`X_n=n_n/(n_n+n_p)`$ at the nucleon freeze-out. The expected variation of the surviving neutron fraction $`\delta X_n`$ induced by the whole effects $`\mathrm{\Delta }\omega `$, which we report in Figure 4, can be evaluated by solving the corresponding transport equation. We find  for the asymptotic abundance $`\delta X_n0.0024`$, with a relative change, in percent, $`\delta X_n/X_n=1.6\%`$. These results allows for a simple estimation of the corrections to $`{}_{}{}^{4}He`$ mass fraction $`\delta Y_p=2\delta X_n\mathrm{exp}\left(t_{ns}/\tau _n^{exp}\right)`$, where $`t_{ns}180sec`$ corresponds to the onset of nucleosynthesis and the exponential factor accounts for the depletion of relic neutrons at freeze-out due to $`\beta `$-decay. Using the results for $`\delta X_n`$ we find $`\delta Y_p0.004`$, or, in percent $`\delta Y_p/Y_p=1.6\%`$.

## References