Constraints on lepton asymmetry from nucleosynthesis in a linearly coasting cosmology

We study the effect of neutrino degeneracy on primordial nucleosynthesis in a universe in which the cosmological scale factor evolves linearly with time. The degeneracy parameter of electron type neutrinos (xi(e)) determines the n/p (neutron to proton) ratio, which in turn determines the abundance of He-4 in a manner quite distinct from the Standard Scenario. The observed abundances of He-4, Y-P = 0.254 +/- 0.003, and the minimum metallicity that is essential for fragmentation and cooling processes in star forming prestellar gas clouds (Z = Z(cr) = 10(-6) Z(circle dot)), constrain the baryon to photon ratio, eta(B) =(3.927 +/- 0.292) 10(-9), corresponding to a baryonic matter density, Omega(B) = 0.263 +/- 0.026 and xi(e) = -2.165 +/- 0.171. This closes the dynamic mass estimates of matter in the universe, obtained from large scale velocity dispersion in galaxy clusters, by baryons alone. Useful byproducts are the threshold X(CNO) abundances required to trigger the CNO cycle in the observed low metallicity stars in the universe.