Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2302.03526

Magnetic Monopoles with No Strings Attached: A Portal to the Dark Side of Dual Electrodynamics

Jan Govaerts
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

It has long been known that in the absence of electric charges and currents, Maxwell's electromagnetism in 4 dimensional vacuum Minkowski space-time is invariant under SO(2) dual transformations that mix its electric and magnetic fields. Extending this symmetry to include the coupling to electrically charged matter, requires a dual coupling to magnetically charged matter as well, leading to Maxwell equations for SO(2) dual electrodynamics. Based on a doubled ensemble of SO(2) dual 4-vector gauge potentials which does away with the need of Dirac string singularities for magnetic monopoles, a local Lagrangian action principle for SO(2) dual electromagnetism is known, which manifestly displays all the required space-time and internal symmetries, and reduces to the experimentally well established Maxwell electrodynamics in the absence of magnetic charges and currents. Applying the same considerations for the matter action of electrically and magnetically charged point particles, a unique SO(2) dual generalised Lorentz force is identified for SO(2) dual electrodynamics, truly different from the usual SO(2) dual invariant choice motivated by simplicity, but yet made arbitrarily and which does not derive from some action principle. This generalised Lorentz force involves a single real and new coupling constant of unknown value, without the requirement of a Dirac-Schwinger-Zwanziger quantisation condition for electric and magnetic charges of dyons. A physical consequence for SO(2) dual electrodynamics of this coupling constant if nonvanishing, is to open a channel, or portal between the otherwise mutually totally ``dark'' sectors of electric and magnetic charges for electromagnetic interactions.

Explore related subjects

hep-th

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Jan Govaerts. 2023-02-07. Magnetic Monopoles with No Strings Attached: A Portal to the Dark Side of Dual Electrodynamics. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc%2Fs10052-023-11302-7

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Gaillard-Zumino non-invertible symmetries

We uncover an infinite class of novel zero-form non-invertible symmetries in a broad family of four-dimensional models, studied years ago by Gaillard and Zumino (GZ), which includes several extended supergravities as particular subcases. The GZ models consist of abelian gauge fields coupled to a neutral sector, typically including a set of scalars, whose equations of motion are classically invariant under a continuous group $\mathscr{G}$ acting on the electric and magnetic field strengths via symplectic transformations. The standard lore holds that, at the quantum level, these symmetries are broken to an integral subgroup $\mathscr{G}_\mathbb{Z}$. We show that, in fact, a much larger subgroup $\mathscr{G}_\mathbb{Q}$ survives, albeit through non-invertible topological defects. We explicitly construct these defects and compute some of their fusion rules. As illustrative examples, we consider the axion-dilaton-Maxwell model and the bosonic sector of a class of $\mathcal{N}=2$ supergravities of the kind that appear in type II Calabi-Yau compactifications. Finally, we comment on how (part of) these non-invertible zero-form symmetries can be broken by gauging the $\mathscr{G}_\mathbb{Z}$ subgroup of invertible symmetries.

hep-th↗
arXiv2026

On the resolution of categorical symmetries in (Non-) Unitary Rational CFTs

We explore several aspects of categorical symmetry-resolved entanglement entropy (SREE) directly within two-dimensional rational conformal field theory (RCFT) (without invoking any SymTFT construction arXiv:2409.02806). We derive a general formula applicable whenever the action of the relevant topological defect lines on the annulus Hilbert space is known. This framework accommodates weakly and strongly symmetric boundaries, cloaking states, and fusion rings with multiplicities. We verify the formula in a range of diagonal unitary and non-unitary examples, including theories with generalized Haagerup-Izumi modular data. Furthermore, we extend the analysis to non-diagonal RCFTs. The $\frac{1}{2}E_6$ example demonstrates that closed-channel modular data and NIM-rep multiplicities alone do not suffice to determine the defect action on the complete open-channel Hilbert space.

hep-th↗
arXiv2026

Reflecting boundary conditions in critical loop models

In critical loop models, we call a boundary sticky if loops can attach to it, and reflecting otherwise. Using analytic bootstrap methods, we show that reflecting boundaries are characterised by one complex parameter, analogous to the boundary cosmological constant in Liouville theory. We determine disc 1-point functions, and write an explicit formula for disc 2-point functions as infinite combinations of conformal blocks. We also sketch the lattice interpretation of reflecting boundaries.

hep-th↗