Cosmological magnetic field survival

Abstract

It is widely believed that primordial magnetic fields are dramatically diluted by the expansion of the universe. As a result, cosmological magnetic fields with residual strengths of astrophysical relevance are generally sought by going outside standard cosmology, or by extending conventional electromagnetic theory. Nevertheless, the survival of strong B-fields of primordial origin is possible in spatially open Friedmann universes without changing conventional electromagnetism. The reason is the hyperbolic geometry of these spacetimes, which slows down the adiabatic magnetic decay-rate and leads to their superadiabatic amplification on large scales. So far, the effect has been found to operate on Friedmannian backgrounds containing either radiation or a slow-rolling scalar field. We show here that the superadiabatic amplification of large-scale magnetic fields, generated by quantum fluctuations during inflation, is essentially independent of the type of matter that fills the universe and appears to be a generic feature of open Friedmann spacetimes. We estimate the late-time strength of any residual field in a marginally open universe and show that it can easily meet the requirements for the dynamo generation of the magnetic fields observed in galaxies today.