Effects of Reheating on Charged Lepton Yukawa Equilibration and Leptogenesis

Abstract

We show that the process of non-instantaneous reheating during the post-inflationary period can have a sizable impact on the charged lepton Yukawa equilibration temperature in the early Universe. This suggests relooking the effects of lepton flavors in the leptogenesis scenario where the production and decay of right-handed neutrinos take place within this prolonged era of reheating. We find this observation has the potential to shift the flavor regime(s) of leptogenesis compared to the standard thermal scenario.

Comments: Version accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters