Primordial Magnetic Fields and Electroweak Baryogenesis

Abstract

In this contribution we will shortly review the main mechanism through which primordial magnetic fields may affect the electroweak baryogenesis. It is shown that although strong magnetic fields might enhance the strength of the electroweak phase transition, no benefit is found for baryogenesis once the effect of the field on the sphaleron rate is taken into account. The possible role of hypermagnetic helicity for the electroweak baryogenesis is shortly discussed.

Comments: 10 pages, 1 fig. Plenary talk presented at the COSMO99 Conference, Trieste, Italy, 27 Sept - 3 Oct, 1999