Speaker
Description
The observed baryon asymmetry of the Universe provides a fundamental probe of high-scale physics and the thermal history of the electroweak plasma. Within the Standard Model, sphaleron processes partially convert a primordial $B-L$ asymmetry into baryon number, and the corresponding sphaleron conversion factor is a key ingredient in quantitative predictions of baryogenesis scenarios.
In this talk, I go beyond the equilibrium treatment and solve a Boltzmann equation describing the evolution of baryon number through the electroweak crossover. By incorporating higher-order corrections to the grand canonical partition function, as well as the temperature dependence of the Higgs expectation value and the sphaleron rate, I present a precision determination of the sphaleron conversion factor and assess the impact of flavor effects.