Anomaly-driven inverse cascade and inhomogeneities in a magnetized chiral plasma in the early Universe

Abstract

By making use of a simple model that captures the key features of the anomalous Maxwell equations, we study the role of inhomogeneities on the evolution of magnetic fields in a chiral plasma. We find that inhomogeneities of the chiral asymmetry by themselves do not prevent the anomaly-driven inverse cascade and, as in the homogeneous case, the magnetic helicity is transferred from shorter to longer wavelength helical modes of the magnetic field. However, we also find that the evolution appears to be sensitive to the effects of diffusion. In the case when diffusion is negligible, the inverse cascade slows down considerably compared to the homogeneous scenario. In the case of the primordial plasma, though, we find that the diffusion is substantial and efficiently suppresses chiral asymmetry inhomogeneities. As a result, the inverse cascade proceeds practically in the same way as in the chirally homogeneous model.

9 pages, 5 multipanel figures

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Cited by in corpus (14)

• On electrodynamics of chiral matter
• Evolution of the Primordial Axial Charge across Cosmic Times
• Chiral torsional effect with finite temperature, density and curvature
• Equilibration of the chiral asymmetry due to finite electron mass in electron-positron plasma
• Production of a chiral magnetic anomaly with emerging turbulence and mean-field dynamo action
• Generation of chiral asymmetry via helical magnetic fields
• Model-independent constraints in inflationary magnetogenesis
• Dynamo instabilities in plasmas with inhomogeneous chiral chemical potential
• Chiral light amplifier with pumped Weyl semimetals
• Chirality production during axion inflation
• Generation of an electromagnetic field nonminimally coupled to gravity during Higgs inflation
• Charge asymmetry from CP-violating fermion scattering off bubble walls during the electroweak phase transition
• Chiral effects and Joule heating in hot and dense matter
• Efficiency of dynamos from an autonomous generation of chiral asymmetry