Published January 7, 2002 | Version v1
Journal article

Generation of magnetic fields and gravitational waves at neutrino decoupling

  • 1. ITEP, Bolshaya Cheremushkinskaya, 25, 117259, Moscow (Russian Federation)
  • 2. I.N.F.N., Sezione di Ferrara, Via del Paradiso 12, 44100 Ferrara (Italy)
  • 3. I.N.F.N., Sezione di Pisa, Pisa (Italy)
  • 4. Scuola Normale Superiore, P.zza dei Cavalieri 7, 56126 Pisa (Italy)

Description

We show that an inhomogeneous cosmological lepton number may have produced turbulence in the primordial plasma when neutrinos entered the (almost) free-streaming regime. This effect may be responsible for the origin of cosmic magnetic fields and give rise to a detectable background of gravitational waves. An existence of inhomogeneous lepton asymmetry could be naturally generated by active-sterile neutrino oscillations or by some versions of the Affleck-Dine baryogenesis scenario

Additional details

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Physical Review Letters
Journal Volume
88
Journal Issue
1
Journal Page Range
p. 011301-011301.4
ISSN
0031-9007
CODEN
PRLTAO

Optional Information

Notes
(c) 2001 The American Physical Society