Baryon number violation

Baryon number violation refers to processes in physics where the total number of baryons—particles like protons and neutrons—changes, contradicting the typical conservation law. In most everyday phenomena, baryon number remains constant, meaning these particles are neither created nor destroyed. However, certain theories extending beyond the Standard Model suggest that at very high energies or through rare events, baryons can transform or convert into other particles, indicating a violation. Understanding baryon number violation is important because it may explain why our universe is dominated by matter, despite theories predicting equal amounts of matter and antimatter initially.