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On the Measurements of D/H in QSO Absorption Systems Closing in on the primordial abundance of deuterium

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Abstract

We present our measurements of the deuterium to hydrogen ratio (D/H) in QSO absorption systems, which give D/H = 3.40 ± 0.25 × 10-5 based on analysis of four independent systems. We discuss the properties of two systems which provide the strongest constraints on D/H. We outline the systematic effects involved in measurements of D/H and introduce a sophisticated method of analysis which properly accounts for these effects.

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Burles, S., Tytler, D. On the Measurements of D/H in QSO Absorption Systems Closing in on the primordial abundance of deuterium. Space Science Reviews 84, 65–75 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005086310712

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