Generation of large scale magnetic fields at recombination epoch

Abstract

It is argued that large scale cosmic magnetic field could be generated in the primeval plasma slightly before hydrogen recombination. Non-zero vorticity, necessary for that, might be created by the photon diffusion in the second order in the temperature fluctuations. The resulting seed fields at galactic scale would be (8–9) orders of magnitude smaller than the observed ones and with a reasonable galactic dynamo amplifying the seed fields by the factor ∼108–109 an existence of coherent magnetic fields in galaxies may be explained.