A new precise determination of the primordial abundance of deuterium: measurement in the metal-poor sub-DLA system at z = 3.42 towards quasar J 1332+0052

Abstract

ABSTRACT The theory of Big Bang nucleosynthesis, coupled with an estimate of the primordial deuterium abundance (D/H)pr, offers insights into the baryon density of the Universe. Independently, the baryon density can be constrained during a different cosmological era through the analysis of cosmic microwave background anisotropy. The comparison of these estimates serves as a rigorous test for the self-consistency of the standard cosmological model and stands as a potent tool in the quest for new physics beyond the standard model of particle physics. For a meaningful comparison, a clear understanding of the various systematic errors affecting deuterium measurements is crucial. Given the limited number of D/H measurements, each new estimate carries significant weight. This study presents the detection of D i absorption lines in a metal-poor sub-Damped Lyman-α system ($\rm [O/H]=-1.71\pm 0.02$, log N(H i) = 19.304 ± 0.004) at zabs = 3.42 towards the quasar SDSS J133254.51+005250.6. Through simultaneous fitting of H i and D i Lyman-series lines, as well as low-ionization metal lines, observed at high spectral resolution and high signal-to-noise using VLT/UVES and Keck/HIRES, we derive log (D i/H i) = −4.622 ± 0.014, accounting for statistical and systematic uncertainties of 0.008dex and 0.012 dex, respectively. Thanks to negligible ionization corrections and minimal deuterium astration at low metallicity, this D/H ratio provides a robust measurement of the primordial deuterium abundance, consistent and competitive with previous works. Incorporating all prior measurements, the best estimate of the primordial deuterium abundance is constrained as: (D/H)pr = (2.533 ± 0.024) × 10−5. This represents a 5 per cent improvement in precision over previous studies and reveals a moderate tension with the expectation from the standard model (≈2.2σ). This discrepancy underscores the importance of further measurements in the pursuit of new physics.