Charge-density waves in deconfining SU(2) Yang-Mills thermodynamics

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the dispersion laws of longitudinal electric fields in SU(2) Yang-Mills thermodynamics, proposing a mechanism for seed magnetic field generation relevant to cosmic structures and matching observed cosmological magnetic field bounds.

Contribution

It provides a one-loop calculation of dispersion laws for longitudinal modes and links plasma anisotropy to seed magnetic field formation in cosmology.

Findings

Longitudinal modes could seed magnetic fields in cosmic structures.

The maximum coherent field strength matches cosmological bounds.

Proposes a connection between Yang-Mills plasma properties and cosmic magnetism.

Abstract

At one-loop accuracy we compute, characterize, and discuss the dispersion laws for the three low-momentum branches of propagating longitudinal, electric U(1) fields in the effective theory for the deconfining phase of pure SU(2) Yang-Mills thermodynamics. With an electric-magnetically dual interpretation of SU(2)$_{\tiny CMB}$ we argue that upon a breaking of plasma isotropy and homogeneity, introduced e.g. by a temperature gradient, the longitudinal modes could conspire to provide magnetic seed fields for magneto-hydrodynamical dynamos inside structures of galaxy, galaxy-cluster, and cosmological scales. Such a scenario ultimately links structure with seed-field formation. As judged from the present cosmological epoch, the maximally available coherent field strength of 10$^{-8}$\,Gauss from SU(2)$_{\tiny CMB}$ matches with the upper bound for cosmological present-day field strength derived from small-angle anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background.