A review of the effects of dark matter on Big-bang nucleosynthesis

Abstract

We present a brief review regarding the effect of dark matter on Big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). Light elements up to 9Be, whose abundances has been determined by using astrophysics spectroscopy and analysis of chondrites, are believed to have been produced during the BBN epoch. Therefore, the standard particle model, as well as models beyond the standard cosmological model, most produce results that ard consistent with the abundances of elements produced during BBN. The need for such consistency can be used to put effective constrains on some of the parameters in such models. This paper addresses how dark matter (DM) affects element production and how important parameters of DM can be constrained by using BBN network calculations and observational data. For example, in this paper, the effects on BBN due to some dark-matter candidates, such as X-particles, sterile neutrinos and axions, along with constraints on the parameters from the BBN, are discussed. � 2016, Korean Physical Society. All rights reserved.