Astrophysical consequences of neutron-antineutron oscillations

Abstract

Grand unified theories predict baryon number violating interactions and one of the implications of this is the possible existence of neutron-antineutron oscillations. The neutron-antineutron oscillations have been considered in the neutron-rich astrophysical sources such as solar flares, supernovae explosions, neutron stars and the nucleosynthetic phase of the early universe in order to partly account for the antiproton flux of the cosmic rays at low energies and the gamma-ray emission, at GeV energies. Low magnetic fields and high neutron concentrations provide the right environment for the production of antineutrons and hence antiprotons and GeV gamma rays.