Omega_B and Omega₀ From MACHOs and Local Group Dynamics

We obtain restrictions on the universal baryon fraction, f_B = Omega_B/Omega_0, by assuming that the observed microlensing events towards the Large Magellanic Cloud are due to baryonic MACHOs in the halo of the Galaxy and by extracting a bound to the total mass of the Milky Way from the motion of tracer galaxies in the Local Group. We find a lower bound f_B > 0.29^{+0.18}_{-0.15}. Consistency with the predictions of primordial nucleosynthesis leads to the further constraint on the total mass density, Omega_0 < 0.2.