Wilson loop and magnetic monopole through a non-Abelian Stokes theorem

Abstract

We show that the Wilson loop operator for SU(N) Yang-Mills gauge connection is exactly rewritten in terms of conserved gauge-invariant magnetic and electric currents through a non-Abelian Stokes theorem of the Diakonov-Petrov type. Here the magnetic current originates from the magnetic monopole derived in the gauge-invariant way from the pure Yang--Mills theory even in the absence of the Higgs scalar field, in sharp contrast to the 't Hooft-Polyakov magnetic monopole in the Georgi-Glashow gauge-Higgs model. The resulting representation indicates that the Wilson loop operator in fundamental representations can be a probe for a single magnetic monopole irrespective of $N$ in SU(N) Yang-Mills theory, against the conventional wisdom. Moreover, we show that the quantization condition for the magnetic charge follows from the fact that the non-Abelian Stokes theorem does not depend on the surface chosen for writing the surface integral. The obtained geometrical and topological representations of the Wilson loop operator have important implications to understanding quark confinement according to the dual superconductor picture.