title: Self-consistent evolution of magnetic fields and chiral asymmetry in the early universe.
abstract: We show that the evolution of magnetic fields in a primordial plasma, filled with standard model particles at temperatures T≳10 MeV, is strongly affected by the chiral anomaly-an effect previously neglected. Although reactions, equilibrating left and right electrons, are in thermal equilibrium for T≲80 TeV, a left-right asymmetry develops in the presence of strong magnetic fields. This results in magnetic helicity transfer from shorter to longer scales and lepton asymmetry present in the plasma until T~10 MeV, which may strongly affect many processes in the early Universe.
authors.affiliation: Instituut-Lorentz for Theoretical Physics, Universiteit Leiden, Niels Bohrweg 2, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Alexey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boyarsky
authors.forename: Jürg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fröhlich
authors.forename: Oleg
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ruchayskiy