Magnetic Fields in the Aftermath of Phase Transitions

TL;DR

This paper explores how cosmological phase transitions can generate magnetic fields, especially helical ones, and discusses the potential for laboratory studies to shed light on their origins and implications for cosmology.

Contribution

It highlights the importance of studying magnetic field generation during phase transitions as a complementary approach to defect formation research.

Findings

Helical magnetic fields are expected from baryogenesis-related phase transitions.

Laboratory analogs can provide insights into cosmic magnetic field generation.

Observing such fields can inform particle physics and cosmological models.

Abstract

The COSLAB effort has focussed on the formation of topological defects during phase transitions. Yet there is another potentially interesting signature of cosmological phase transitions, which also deserves study in the lab. This is the generation of magnetic fields during phase transitions. In particular, cosmological phase transitions that also lead to preferential production of matter over antimatter (``baryogenesis''), are expected to produce helical (left-handed) magnetic fields. The study of analogous processes in the lab can yield important insight into the production of helical magnetic fields, and the observation of such fields in the universe can be invaluable for both particle physics and cosmology.