Systematic analysis of baryogenesis in non-equilibrium quantum field theory

• Applicant: Dr. Alexander Kartavtsev
• Subject Area: Nuclear and Elementary Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Relativity, Fields
• Term: from 2010 to 2014
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 175471486

Today the observed universe almost entirely consists of matter, i.e. is baryonically asymmetric. A very attractive explanation of the observed asymmetry is provided by the baryogenesis via leptogenesis scenario. According to this scenario the excess of matter over antimatter has been generated by the decay of heavy Majorana neutrinos. The existence of the heavy neutrinos simultaneously explains the small but non-vanishing masses of the conventional neutrinos. That is, there is an exciting connection between neutrino physics and the physics of the early Universe. Many important aspects of leptogenesis have been extensively studied by a number of researchers. The state of the art calculations use the Boltzmann equation with the vacuum scattering terms to compute the baryon asymmetry of the universe. The applicability of this approximation in the hot and rapidly expanding early universe is questionable. Our expertise allows us to verify it using methods of non-equilibrium quantum field theory. These methods offer an opportunity to calculate corrections to the results of the canonical analysis based on the use of the Boltzmann equation. Furthermore, they enable us to find the range of the applicability of the canonical approach and discover a number of qualitatively new effects.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants