Delayed Charged Lepton Yukawa Equilibration and Thermal Leptogenesis

Abstract

While most studies of the minimal type-I seesaw neglect the heaviest decoupled right-handed neutrino, assuming negligible contributions to neutrino masses and leptogenesis, we demonstrate that its cosmological role can be significant. When long-lived, the presence of this particle can substantially modify the charged lepton Yukawa equilibration temperature in the early universe, necessitating reassessment of lepton flavor effects in thermal leptogenesis and potentially shifting flavor regime boundaries. Additionally, we identify experimental probes, including neutrino oscillation measurements and gravitational wave observations to investigate this scenario.