On finite--temperature and --density radiative corrections to the neutrino effective potential in the early Universe

Abstract

Finite-temperature and -density radiative corrections to the neutrino effective potential in the otherwise CP-symmetric early Universe are considered in the real-time approach of Thermal Field Theory. A consistent perturbation theory endowed with the hard thermal loop resummation techniques developed by Braaten and Pisarski is applied. Special attention is focused on the question whether such corrections can generate any nonzero contribution to the CP-symmetric part of the neutrino potential, if the contact approximation for the W-propagator is used.