Chiral Anomaly and Dynamos from Inhomogeneous Chemical Potential Fluctuations
Abstract
In the standard model of particle physics, the chiral anomaly can occur in relativistic plasmas and plays a role in the early Universe, protoneutron stars, heavy-ion collisions, and quantum materials. It gives rise to a magnetic instability if the number densities of left- and right-handed electrically charged fermions are unequal. Using direct numerical simulations, we show this can result just from spatial fluctuations of the chemical potential, causing a chiral dynamo instability, magnetically driven turbulence, and ultimately a large-scale magnetic field through the magnetic α effect.
- Publication:
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Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- February 2024
- DOI:
- arXiv:
- arXiv:2307.15118
- Bibcode:
- 2024PhRvL.132f5101S
- Keywords:
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- Physics - Plasma Physics;
- Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics;
- High Energy Physics - Phenomenology;
- Physics - Fluid Dynamics
- E-Print:
- 5 pages, 4 figures