TITLE:
A Molecular Hydrogen Production Model from Li and LiH in the Early Universe
AUTHORS:
Raúl G. E. Morales, Mauricio R. Canales
KEYWORDS:
H2; Li and LiH in the Dark Epoch; Li and LiH as Primitive Catalyzers; H2 Production from Li Model
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics,
Vol.3 No.2,
June
3,
2013
ABSTRACT:
Neutral isotopes and ions of H, He and Li define the
chemistry of the early universe by collisional and radiative process, where
under low temperature and radiation regime, only neutral species were essential
in the cooling mass that gave origin to the first proto star structures.
Nevertheless, up to now, in every kinetic model Li is permanently discarded
from fundamental reactions due to its extremely low density. Contrarily
to these previous models we have developed a novel kinetic model based on two
consecutive reactions of Li and LiH with H, in order to generate a recursive
process that fit well H2 production to temperatures as low as 200 K,
according to the cosmological time at the end of the dark epoch. Our results
show how Li and LiH merge as first catalyzers of the H to H2 chemical reaction and permit us to explain the expected abundance of H2 as the main coolant in the early universe as well as in cold regions of the
cosmos.