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arxiv: 2605.15771 · v1 · pith:H7QUUTLPnew · submitted 2026-05-15 · ✦ hep-ph

Baryon and lepton asymmetry of the Universe in the left-right weak interaction model

A. P. Serebrov , O. M. Zherebtsov , A. K. Fomin , R. M. Samoilov , N. S. Budanov This is my paper

Pith reviewed 2026-05-20 17:54 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification ✦ hep-ph
keywords left-right modelbaryon asymmetrylepton asymmetryCP violationneutron decaysterile neutrinosquark-gluon plasmaSakharov conditions
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The pith

In the left-right weak interaction model, opposite-sign mixing angles for right-handed bosons produce different neutron and antineutron lifetimes that generate baryon asymmetry at the quark-hadron transition.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The paper proposes that baryon asymmetry originates in the left-right model of weak interactions through a difference in the decay rates of neutrons and antineutrons. This difference arises because the right-handed vector boson mixes with different signs into the left-handed W+ and W- bosons. During the transition from quark-gluon plasma to hadrons below 150 MeV, this effect satisfies all three Sakharov conditions for asymmetry generation. Lepton asymmetry is simultaneously produced by sterile neutrinos that escape the plasma carrying away the opposite charge. The model also offers a way to form dark matter from those sterile neutrinos and suggests improved tests via neutron decay measurements.

Core claim

In the left-right weak interaction model the admixture of a right vector boson with mixing angles of opposite signs for W^- and W^+ causes neutrons and antineutrons to have different lifetimes. This difference produces a net baryon number during the hadronization of the quark-gluon plasma at temperatures below 150 MeV, thereby satisfying Sakharov's three conditions for the generation of baryon asymmetry. At the same time sterile neutrinos leave the plasma and carry away an opposite lepton asymmetry, so that the difference between baryon and lepton numbers is preserved.

What carries the argument

The right vector boson admixture with opposite-sign mixing angles for the W^- and W^+ bosons, which produces different decay probabilities for neutrons and antineutrons.

If this is right

  • Sakharov's three conditions for baryon asymmetry are all met during the phase transition from quark-gluon plasma to hadronic liquid below 150 MeV.
  • Sterile right-handed neutrinos escape the cosmic plasma and carry away a lepton asymmetry of opposite sign to the baryon asymmetry.
  • The difference between baryon number and lepton number is preserved after the asymmetries form.
  • Sterile neutrinos provide a mechanism for dark matter formation.
  • Higher-precision measurements of neutron decay asymmetry can test the left-right model.

Where Pith is reading between the lines

These are editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • If the sign difference in mixing angles is confirmed, the observed matter excess would be directly traceable to low-energy weak-interaction parameters rather than high-scale physics.
  • The same sterile-neutrino escape process could be checked through its effects on the cosmic neutrino background spectrum.
  • Improved neutron lifetime data might reveal right-handed current contributions that current experiments have not yet resolved.

Load-bearing premise

The right vector boson admixture has mixing angles of opposite signs for W^- and W^+ and this sign difference survives to produce unequal neutron versus antineutron decay rates during hadronization.

What would settle it

A precision measurement showing that neutron and antineutron lifetimes remain equal when the predicted right-boson mixing is present would eliminate the proposed source of baryon asymmetry.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2605.15771 by A. K. Fomin, A. P. Serebrov, N. S. Budanov, O. M. Zherebtsov, R. M. Samoilov.

Figure 2
Figure 2. Figure 2: The process of neutron decay and the process [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p002_2.png] view at source ↗
Figure 3
Figure 3. Figure 3: The neutron decay process and the antineutron [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p003_3.png] view at source ↗
Figure 4
Figure 4. Figure 4: Graph from A.D. Sakharov’s article, which [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p005_4.png] view at source ↗
Figure 5
Figure 5. Figure 5: Diagram of active and sterile neutrinos. [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p006_5.png] view at source ↗
Figure 6
Figure 6. Figure 6: Scheme of mixing of active and sterile neutrinos. [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p006_6.png] view at source ↗
Figure 8
Figure 8. Figure 8: a) Laboratory and astrophysical constraints on the parameters of sterile neutrinos. Red dots – result of Neutrino￾4 experiment and possible mass of heavy right neutrinos; green area – constraints of NuSTAR experiment [20]; orange area – KATRIN, excluded with 95% confidence interval – constraints of KATRIN experiment for sterile neutrinos [21]; red area – 95% confidence constraints of experiments on measuri… view at source ↗
Figure 10
Figure 10. Figure 10: Comparison of the results of the neutron decay analysis, which are also applicable to 𝐾 0 − 𝐾̅0 , 𝐷 0 − 𝐷̅0 , 𝐵 0 − 𝐵̅0 , 𝐵𝑠 0 −𝐵̅ 𝑠 0 mesons and 𝑛 − 𝑛̅ oscillations. In addition, the constraints from CPT invariance are shown for decays 𝜋 +𝜋 − and 𝜇 +𝜇 −. The ellipse at the origin is the result of the TWIST experiment [22] in the left-right model interpretation. Thus, to obtain the correct lepton asymmetr… view at source ↗
Figure 11
Figure 11. Figure 11: a) Comparison of the results of measuring the time dependence for the decay asymmetry [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p012_11.png] view at source ↗
Figure 12
Figure 12. Figure 12: a) The process of suppression of oscillations with an increase in the distance between levels for particles and [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p014_12.png] view at source ↗
Figure 13
Figure 13. Figure 13: Detailed diagram of the setup for measuring neutron decay asymmetry. Electron trajectories are shown in blue, proton trajectories in red. The white cylinder is at a potential of +30 kV. The yellow half-cylinders are the plates of high-voltage capacitors with a potential of 20 kV. It is also necessary to increase the accuracy of the Neutrino-4 experiment to search for light sterile neutrinos. To this end, … view at source ↗
read the original abstract

The formation of baryon asymmetry in the Universe is considered in the left-right weak interaction model. In this model, the nature of CP violation is associated with the presence of a right vector boson admixture, with a mixing angle of different signs for W^- and W^+. This leads to the fact that lifetimes of neutrons and antineutrons that decay through W^- and W^+ differ. This difference gives rise to baryon asymmetry during the hadronization of quark-gluon plasma at temperatures below 150 MeV. During the phase transition from quark-gluon plasma to hadronic liquid, all three of A.D. Sakharov's conditions for the generation of baryon asymmetry in the Universe are satisfied: CP violation and process nonstationarity, resulting in baryon number violation due to the difference in the decay probabilities of neutrons and antineutrons. The generation of lepton asymmetry in the Universe in the left-right model is associated with the presence of sterile (right) neutrinos, which do not thermalize and leave the cosmic plasma, takes away a lepton asymmetry with a sign opposite to the baryon asymmetry. Generally, baryon-lepton asymmetry arises during the hadronization of quark-gluon plasma, preserving the difference between the baryon and lepton numbers. A mechanism for the formation of dark matter by sterile neutrinos is presented. The possibility of increasing the experimental accuracy of neutron decay asymmetry measurements is noted, increasing the level of confidence in the validity of the left-right model of weak interactions.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

1 major / 2 minor

Summary. The manuscript explores baryon and lepton asymmetry generation in the left-right weak interaction model. It posits that a right-handed vector boson admixture with opposite-sign mixing angles for W^- and W^+ causes differing lifetimes and decay probabilities between neutrons and antineutrons. This disparity is said to produce baryon asymmetry during the quark-gluon plasma hadronization phase transition at T < 150 MeV, thereby satisfying Sakharov's three conditions. Lepton asymmetry is attributed to sterile right neutrinos that do not thermalize and depart the plasma, carrying opposite-sign lepton number. A dark matter production mechanism involving these neutrinos is also presented, along with suggestions for enhanced experimental tests via neutron decay asymmetry measurements.

Significance. Should the proposed mechanism prove correct, it would constitute a significant advance by providing a concrete, low-scale realization of baryon asymmetry generation tied to the QCD phase transition and testable through precision weak decay experiments. It would also unify explanations for baryon-lepton asymmetry and dark matter within an extension of the Standard Model. The approach avoids reliance on high-temperature processes like leptogenesis, potentially offering new insights into early Universe dynamics.

major comments (1)
  1. Abstract: The central claim relies on the mixing angle having different signs for W^- and W^+, leading to Γ(n) ≠ Γ(¯n). However, this would violate CPT invariance, which is preserved in the left-right model as a local gauge theory with a CPT-even Lagrangian after symmetry breaking. No CPT-violating term or mechanism is introduced in the model to allow unequal decay rates for particles and antiparticles.
minor comments (2)
  1. The manuscript lacks any quantitative estimate or derivation of the magnitude of the generated baryon asymmetry for comparison against the observed value of ~10^{-10}.
  2. No discussion is provided of possible washout processes during the phase transition that could erase the asymmetry before freeze-out.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

1 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for their careful reading of our manuscript and for identifying a key consistency issue with CPT invariance. We address this comment below and have made revisions to improve the clarity of our presentation.

read point-by-point responses

  1. Referee: [—] Abstract: The central claim relies on the mixing angle having different signs for W^- and W^+, leading to Γ(n) ≠ Γ(¯n). However, this would violate CPT invariance, which is preserved in the left-right model as a local gauge theory with a CPT-even Lagrangian after symmetry breaking. No CPT-violating term or mechanism is introduced in the model to allow unequal decay rates for particles and antiparticles.

    Authors: We agree with the referee that our left-right model, being a local gauge theory, preserves CPT invariance with a CPT-even Lagrangian. The original wording in the abstract regarding differing lifetimes of neutrons and antineutrons could be interpreted as implying a CPT violation, which is not the case. The baryon asymmetry arises from the CP-violating nature of the opposite-sign mixing angles in the context of the non-equilibrium hadronization transition, fulfilling Sakharov's conditions through the disparity in decay probabilities under these dynamical conditions rather than through fundamentally different intrinsic lifetimes. We will revise the manuscript to clarify this mechanism and update the abstract accordingly to avoid any misunderstanding regarding CPT invariance. revision: yes

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No significant circularity; derivation is model-based and self-contained

full rationale

The paper advances a left-right model in which a right-handed vector boson admixture with opposite-sign mixing angles for W^- and W^+ produces unequal n vs. anti-n decay rates during the QGP-to-hadron transition, thereby satisfying Sakharov's three conditions and generating net baryon number. Lepton asymmetry is attributed to non-thermalizing sterile neutrinos that carry away opposite-sign lepton number. These steps are presented as direct consequences of the model's Lagrangian and phase-transition dynamics rather than as outputs that reduce by construction to fitted parameters, self-citations, or renamed inputs. No equations or sections are shown that equate the final asymmetry to the mixing-angle choice via tautology or statistical forcing. The central claim therefore retains independent content within the stated assumptions and does not trigger any of the enumerated circularity patterns.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

1 free parameters · 2 axioms · 2 invented entities

The central claim rests on the left-right model framework, the existence of a sign-different mixing angle, and the non-thermalization of sterile neutrinos, none of which receive independent verification or derivation in the abstract.

free parameters (1)
  • mixing angle sign difference for right vector bosons
    Invoked to produce CP violation and the neutron-antineutron lifetime difference; no independent determination shown.
axioms (2)
  • domain assumption Sakharov's three conditions are necessary and sufficient for generating the observed baryon asymmetry.
    The paper states that the mechanism satisfies all three conditions during hadronization.
  • domain assumption Sterile right neutrinos do not thermalize with the cosmic plasma and escape freely.
    This allows them to carry away lepton asymmetry of opposite sign.
invented entities (2)
  • right vector boson admixture with opposite-sign mixing no independent evidence
    purpose: To introduce CP violation that differentiates neutron and antineutron lifetimes.
    Postulated within the left-right model extension.
  • sterile right neutrinos no independent evidence
    purpose: To generate opposite lepton asymmetry and serve as dark matter.
    They leave the plasma without thermalizing.

pith-pipeline@v0.9.0 · 5831 in / 1924 out tokens · 151410 ms · 2026-05-20T17:54:18.673350+00:00 · methodology

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Reference graph

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