A Minimal Approach to Baryogenesis via Affleck-Dine and Inflaton Mass Terms

Abstract

We present a minimal approach to the generation of the baryon ($B$) asymmetry of the Universe, in which the asymmetry is generated in a complex inflaton condensate via $B$-violating quadratic inflaton potential terms using the Affleck-Dine (AD) mechanism. We show that the $B$-violating quadratic mass terms create an oscillating asymmetry in the complex inflaton condensate at late times. The final asymmetry transferred to the Standard Model sector at reheating is naturally reduced to the magnitude of the observed $B$ asymmetry by the effect of averaging over the $B$ oscillations. This approach to baryogenesis can easily be realised in a wide range of inflation models. We also show that AD baryogenesis via inflaton mass terms is free of the tuning of field dynamics required by the conventional AD mechanism.

Comments: Latex 7 pages, 1 figure. Extended discussion with a revised introduction and with new sections on coherent states and the validity of the classical asymmetry calculation in the quantum limit and on baryon washout. Published in Physical Review D