Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2010/iii/paper-53/2/i/e/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 53 2 i e Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The helium yield is primarily neutron-limited, so small changes in cosmological baryon density have only a weak effect compared with their effect on residual deuterium. Increasing the baryon-to-photon ratio makes deuterium destruction less effective relative to its formation and releases the deuterium bottleneck at a slightly higher temperature. Nuclear reactions also proceed faster. Fewer neutrons decay before capture, so a small increase in baryon density slightly increases helium-4; a decrease slightly lowers it.
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