Magnetic Charge and Photon Mass

ORAL

Abstract

In this talk we study magnetic charge in the presence of a photon mass and find very simple and physical potentials and fields. Several properties of magnetic charge with a photon mass differ markedly from magnetic charge with a massless photon: (i) the string singularities of the two, usual 3-vector potentials become real singularities in the magnetic fields; (ii) the two 3-vector potentials become gauge inequivalent and physically distinct solutions; (iii) the magnetic field depends on the axial angle and is no longer rotationally symmetric; (iv) a combined system of electric and magnetic charge carries a field angular momentum even when the electric and magnetic charges are located at the same place; (v) the usual Dirac quantization condition is altered. Given the reality of the string singularity the only way to ``hide" the string is to require a QCD-like flux tube confinement between opposite magnetic charges {\it i.e.} magnetic charge, like color charge, should always be confined.

Authors

  • Timothy Evans

    California State University, Fresno

  • Douglas Singleton

    California State University, Fresno