Scale of SU(2)_R symmetry breaking and leptogenesis

Abstract

Models of leptogenesis often invoke the out-of-equilibrium decays of heavy right-handed neutrinos in order to create a baryon asymmetry of the universe through the electroweak phase transition. Their presumed existence argues strongly for the presence of an $SU(2)_R$ gauge symmetry. We study the equilibrating effects of the resulting additional right-handed interactions and find that successful leptogenesis requires that $m_N \gtrsim 10^{16}$ GeV if $m_N > m_{W_R}$, and $m_{W_R} \gtrsim 3 \times 10^6 GeV (m_N /10^2 GeV)^{2/3}$ if $m_{N}<m_{W_R}$, where $m_{N}$ is the mass of the lightest right-handed neutrino. However, the $m_N > m_{W_R}$ option is excluded in a supersymmetric theory with gravitinos.