Constraint on the chemical potentials of hydrogen and proton in recombination

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, we revisit the hydrogen recombination history from a novel perspective: the evolution of chemical potentials. We derive expressions for the chemical potentials, which depend on the thermal bath temperature and the ionization degree of the universe. Our main finding reveals a constraint between the chemical potentials of hydrogen and proton at $$z\approx 1200$$ z ≈ 1200 when the free electron fraction is $$X_e\approx 1/3$$ X e ≈ 1 / 3 . Furthermore, we present important data on the chemical potentials during recombination, highlighting the differences between the predictions of the Peebles’ and CosmoRec code solutions. Finally, we discuss a particular case related to the chemical potential of hydrogen.