Was Cosmic Recombination Caused by Charge Attraction or Positron Infusion?

In summary, recombination is a process that occurs in cosmology and involves electrons attaching themselves to nuclei to form atomic structures. Prior to this process, electrons were spread out in vast distances in space, in a low-energy state. The attraction of electrons to nuclei was caused by a strong positive charge in the nuclei. During this period, positrons did not play a role, as they were annihilated after baryogenesis. The effects of recombination can be seen in the polarization of the cosmic microwave background.
  • #1
Spin_Network
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There are many recombination processes:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recombination

but specifically in cosmology the process deals with the Electron attaching itself around Nuclei to form atomic structure's?

Previous to this moment, electrons were spread out at vast distances through space, it has been said that Electron Density was such that, all electrons were external to matter, and thus the Universe was in a low-energy state( electrons were not available/in atomic shells, to photons for absorbing and emmiting radiant energy), with free-Electrons roaming around.

What caused the 'instant' attraction of Electrons to Nuclei, was it Charge?..if so then the Nuclei must have had an enormous Positive Charge, that attracted the Negative Electrons into/onto shell orbits?

Iam looking for some info on the Free Electrons during this period, should this be electrons that are Neutral?..if so does this mean that the free electrons were coupled with free anti-electrons?..in order to have neutral electrons, something must have balanced the Charge, could this have been Positron infusion?

http://background.uchicago.edu/~whu/polar/webversion/node15.html

I want to know if the Positrons played any part in this period of Early epoch of the Universe recombination period, if so is there any connection to the Positron Halo that has been detected around our Galactic core?..is this evidence of some Polarization directional infusion?

Hope there is someone out there who can give me info on the best data that deals with this time, thanks.
 
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  • #2
Before of recombination electrons and protons attracted each other, but the photons were energetic enough to dissociate any formed atom of neutral hydrogen (one electron and one proton). The electrons were free and in thermal equilibrium, interacting via Compton (or Thomson) scattering with the photons.

As far as I know, positrons did not play any role at recombination. All antimatter created during baryogenesis (at the very beginning) was annihilated immediately afterwards, leaving matter and lots of photons (which formed the cosmic radiation background).

The link you provide there is a bit misleading as it describes the effects of reionization (a long process after recombination) in the polarization of the CMB. May be you can start here to find information about the CMB: http://background.uchicago.edu/~whu/
 
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1. What is cosmic recombination?

Cosmic recombination refers to the process in which the free electrons and protons in the early universe combined to form neutral atoms, such as hydrogen and helium. This process occurred approximately 380,000 years after the Big Bang.

2. What caused cosmic recombination?

The exact cause of cosmic recombination is still a topic of debate among scientists. However, two main theories suggest that it was either caused by charge attraction between electrons and protons, or by the infusion of positrons (the antimatter counterpart of electrons) into the universe.

3. What evidence supports the charge attraction theory?

One of the main pieces of evidence for the charge attraction theory is the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. This is the leftover radiation from the early universe, and it shows a pattern of temperature fluctuations that align with the predictions of charge attraction during cosmic recombination.

4. What evidence supports the positron infusion theory?

The positron infusion theory is supported by observations of the cosmic X-ray background (CXB) radiation. This is the X-ray radiation emitted by high-energy particles in the universe, and it shows a pattern that aligns with the predictions of positron infusion during cosmic recombination.

5. Is there a way to determine which theory is correct?

Currently, there is no definitive way to determine which theory is correct. Both theories have supporting evidence, but further research and observations are needed to fully understand the process of cosmic recombination. It is possible that a combination of both charge attraction and positron infusion played a role in this process.

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