Lepton number violation and the baryon asymmetry of the universe

Abstract

Neutrinoless double beta decay, lepton number violating collider processes and the Baryon Asymmetry of the Universe (BAU) are intimately related. In particular, lepton number violating processes at low energies in combination with sphaleron transitions will typically erase any preexisting BAU. In this contribution, we briefly review the tight connection between neutrinoless double beta decay, lepton number violating processes at the LHC and constraints from successful baryogenesis. We argue that far-reaching conclusions can be drawn unless the baryon asymmetry is stabilized via some newly introduced mechanism.