Topological Classification of Odd-Parity Sphaleron Deformations
Minos Axenides, Andrei Johansen · 1993
We discuss topological aspects of the electroweak sphaleron and its deformations. We demonstrate that they are uniquely classified in terms of their parity odd and even pure gauge field behaviour at spatial infinity. Fermion level crossing occurs only for parity odd configurations which are topologically disconnected from the vacuum. Deformations with parity even pure gauge behaviour at spatial infinity are topologically trivial and do not mediate rapid baryon number violation processes in the early Universe.