Baryogenesis at the QCD Scale

Abstract

We propose a new mechanism for explaining the observed asymmetry between matter and antimatter, based on nonperturbative physics at the QCD scale. Our mechanism is a charge separation scenario, making use of domain walls separating the recently discovered long-lived metastable vacua from the lowest energy vacuum. The walls acquire a fractional negative baryon charge, leaving behind a compensating positive baryon charge in the bulk. The regions of metastable vacuum bounded by walls ("B-shells") will contribute to the dark matter of the Universe.

Comments: 11 pages, based on a plenary talk by R.B. at SEWM-98 and an invited talk by A.Z. at COSMO-98, to be publ. in the proceedings of SEWM-98