Disoriented Chiral Condensate and Strong Electromagnetic Fields

We discuss the effect of strong electromagnetic fields on chiral orientation in the framework of the linear $\sigma$ model. Based on lessons we learn from computation of the effective potential at one loop, we argue that the chiral U(1) anomaly dominates chiral disorientation driven by electromagnetism. We show that the anomaly effect induces a quasi-instantaneous ``kick'' to field configurations along the $\pi^0$ direction in relativistic heavy ion collisions. We discuss the possibility that a ``kick'', even though small in magnitude, can have a substantial effect on the formation of chirally misaligned domains.