What is baryogenesis?
Quick Answer
Baryogenesis is the process that may have produced the small excess of matter over antimatter in the early Universe. Without it, the Universe could have ended up mostly as radiation.
The Full Story
Baryogenesis refers to the set of unknown processes that created more baryons, such as protons and neutrons, than antibaryons in the early Universe. Because matter and antimatter annihilate when they meet, even a tiny imbalance was enough to leave behind the matter that makes stars, planets, and people. Scientists know the Standard Model alone does not easily explain the observed asymmetry, so baryogenesis remains an open problem. Related ideas include leptogenesis and CP violation in particle physics.
Key Facts
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