Nonequilibrium Effects and Baryogenesis

Possible effects due to nonequilibrium dynamics in the Affleck-Dine mechanism of baryogenesis are examined. Using the closed-time-path formalism, the quantum fluctuation and the back reaction of the Affleck-Dine scalar field are incorporated self-consistently into the dynamical equations of the system. It is found that such nonequilibrium effects can significantly affect the amount of baryon asymmetry that can be generated. In particular, it is possible to generate the observed baryon asymmetry with suitable initial conditions. The methodology described in this paper as well as some of the results obtained are quite general, and can be applied to any complex scalar field in a cosmological background.