Baryon asymmetry and conservation of charge

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concepts of baryon asymmetry and conservation of charge, exploring how these ideas coexist in the context of the universe's neutrality. Participants seek to clarify the relationship between baryon asymmetry, charge conservation, and CP violation, referencing Sakharov's conditions for baryon asymmetry.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses confusion about how baryon asymmetry can exist without charge asymmetry, questioning the implications of CP violation on charge conservation.
  • Another participant argues that baryon asymmetry does not necessarily imply charge asymmetry, using the example of a universe composed solely of neutrons.
  • A participant discusses the concept of CP violation, suggesting that it relates to differing decay rates of matter and antimatter, leading to a perceived imbalance in charge conservation.
  • One participant illustrates Sakharov's conditions with a hypothetical reaction involving positrons and photons, emphasizing that baryon number can change while charge remains conserved.
  • Another participant corrects a misunderstanding about the nature of anti-neutrons and clarifies the distinction between CP violation and CPT violation, asserting that charge conservation is upheld in individual decay processes.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion reveals multiple competing views regarding the relationship between baryon asymmetry and charge conservation. Participants do not reach a consensus, as some argue for a connection between the two concepts while others maintain that they can coexist without contradiction.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference Sakharov's conditions and explore the implications of CP violation, but the discussion remains unresolved regarding the specific mechanisms that allow for baryon asymmetry without charge asymmetry. There are also distinctions made between different types of violations (CP vs. CPT) that are not fully reconciled.

spidey
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I am confused with baryon asymmetry and conservation of charge..we say that there is baryon asymmetry but the universe is neutral..how is that possible..if there is baryon asymmetry then there should be charge asymmetry also? I think i am missing some point..can someone explain these two in detail?

I got the Sakhorov conditions for baryon asymmetry from wikipedia:

1. baryon number violation
2. c or cp violation
3. interactions out of thermal equilibrium

The second point says that there is cp violation for baryon asymmetry to happen.which means the conservation of charge should be violated..so universe cannot be neutral..am i wrong?
 
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spidey said:
if there is baryon asymmetry then there should be charge asymmetry also?

Not necessarily. Imagine a universe made up only of neutrons.

spidey said:
The second point says that there is cp violation for baryon asymmetry to happen.which means the conservation of charge should be violated..so universe cannot be neutral..am i wrong?

CP violation does not mean charge isn't conserved. Why do you think it might?
 
Vanadium 50 said:
Not necessarily. Imagine a universe made up only of neutrons.



CP violation does not mean charge isn't conserved. Why do you think it might?

we distinguish matter and antimatter based on their charge. what i think as cp violation is, rate at which matter decay is not same as the rate at which antimatter decay. supposing we have 10 matter and 10 antimatter at time t=0. then after some time, 10 matter decays to 10 anti matter but only 5 antimatter decays to matter because of cp violation.so,at last,we 15 antimatter and 5 matter.charge is not conserved.is this calculation correct?
 
spidey said:
I am confused with baryon asymmetry and conservation of charge..we say that there is baryon asymmetry but the universe is neutral..how is that possible..if there is baryon asymmetry then there should be charge asymmetry also? I think i am missing some point..can someone explain these two in detail?

I got the Sakhorov conditions for baryon asymmetry from wikipedia:

1. baryon number violation
2. c or cp violation
3. interactions out of thermal equilibrium

The second point says that there is cp violation for baryon asymmetry to happen.which means the conservation of charge should be violated..so universe cannot be neutral..am i wrong?

To illustrate Sakharov's conditions, let me use a silly toy example that probably violates all kinds of stuff.

Consider the reaction where a positron (anti-electron) and a photon combine to form a proton,

Code:
e[SUP]+[/SUP] + gamma --> p[SUP]+[/SUP]

Baryon number conservation goes form zero to +1, so condition 1. is satisfied, but electric charge is conserved.

Suppose this reaction in invariant under C. Then,

Code:
e[SUP]-[/SUP] + gamma --> p[SUP]-[/SUP]

is equally likely to happen. Here, baryon number goes from zero to -1.

For condition 2. to be satisfied (and thus 1.), one of these reaction has to be more likely than the other. This gives baryon number non-conservation while conserving electric charge.
 
George Jones said:
To illustrate Sakharov's conditions, let me use a silly toy example that probably violates all kinds of stuff.

Consider the reaction where a positron (anti-electron) and a photon combine to form a proton,

Code:
e[SUP]+[/SUP] + gamma --> p[SUP]+[/SUP]

Baryon number conservation goes form zero to +1, so condition 1. is satisfied, but electric charge is conserved.

Suppose this reaction in invariant under C. Then,

Code:
e[SUP]-[/SUP] + gamma --> p[SUP]-[/SUP]

is equally likely to happen. Here, baryon number goes from zero to -1.

For condition 2. to be satisfied (and thus 1.), one of these reaction has to be more likely than the other. This gives baryon number non-conservation while conserving electric charge.

Thanks..i got the difference..
 
spidey said:
we distinguish matter and antimatter based on their charge.

Are you arguing that anti-neutrons don't exist as separate particles? I assure you that they do. (You can tell the difference between a neutron and an anti-neutron by their magnetic properties)

spidey said:
what i think as cp violation is, rate at which matter decay is not same as the rate at which antimatter decay. supposing we have 10 matter and 10 antimatter at time t=0. then after some time, 10 matter decays to 10 anti matter but only 5 antimatter decays to matter because of cp violation.so,at last,we 15 antimatter and 5 matter.charge is not conserved.is this calculation correct?

First, that's CPT violation, not CP violation. There is a a theorem called the "CPT theorem" which states that all theories that can be written down with a finite number of derivatives and respect relativity conserve CPT.

Second, and more fundamentally, if the individual decays themselves don't violate charge conservation, no amount of changing relative rates will cause a charge nonconservation to appear.
 

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