Charge asymmetry in the brane world and the formation of charged black holes

Abstract

In theories with an infinite extra dimension, free particles localized on the brane can leak out to the extra space. We argue that if there were color confinement in the bulk, electrons would be more able to escape than quarks and protons (which are composed states). Thus, this process generates an electric charge asymmetry on brane matter densities. A primordial charge asymmetry during the big bang nucleosynthesis era is predicted. We use current bounds on this and on electron disappearance to constrain the parameter space of these models. Although the generated asymmetry is generically small, it could be particularly enhanced on large densities as in astrophysical objects, such as massive stars. We suggest the possibility that such an accumulation of charge may be linked, upon supernova collapse, to the formation of a charged black hole and the generation of gamma-ray bursts.