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Questions tagged [dirac-string]

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2 votes
0 answers
475 views

Dirac string and nature of singularities

The Dirac magnetic monopole is defined as \begin{align} \vec{B}=\frac{g\vec{r}}{r^3}\,, \end{align} where $g$ is the strength of the monopole and $\vec{r}$ a vector. It is possible to show that the ...
Sonia Llambias's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
76 views

Are we sure that electric “monopoles” are not just ends of an “Electrical Dirac String”? [closed]

The Dirac String is used to model magnetic monopoles. So how are we sure that physical electric “monopoles” are not in fact the ends of an “Electrical Dirac String” produced by a solenoid carrying a ...
Kevin Marinas's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
94 views

What definition of integral is implied when expressing nonzero Chern number as the integral of Berry curvature?

In defining a nonzero Chern number as the integral of Berry curvature over the parameter manifold: $$n=\frac{1}{2\pi}\int_{S}{\mathcal{F}}{dS}$$ does the integral exist in a general Riemann sense, or ...
skachko's user avatar
  • 91
1 vote
3 answers
731 views

Is this case a failure of Stokes' theorem?

In the presence of a hypothetical magnetic point charge at the origin of coordinates, it turns out that an irremovable physical singularity of the vector potential ${\bf A}({\bf r})$ exists for any ...
SRS's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
593 views

Why curl of Dirac string attached to Dirac monopole is zero?

So let we have a magnetic field which is $$B_\mu=\frac{q}{2}\frac{x_\mu}{|x|^3}-2\pi q\delta_{3\mu}\theta(x_3)\delta{(x_1)}\delta{(x_2)},\tag{4.65}$$ where $\theta$ is step function and $\delta{(x_\mu)...
physshyp's user avatar
  • 1,369
1 vote
0 answers
81 views

Does the electrodynamics-like PDE $\epsilon^{ijk}\partial_j B_{kl}(x) = \delta^i_l\delta^{(3)}(x)$ have solutions?

Consider the following PDE in 3 dimensions $$ \epsilon^{ijk}\partial_j B_{kl}(x) = \delta^i_l\delta^{(3)}(x)$$ Does $B_{kl}(x)$ have a solution? (It can have any kind of singularity, e.g. it can have ...
Weicheng Ye's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
200 views

How to incorporate Dirac's magnetic monopole solution into a continuous magnetic charge density?

Dirac famously solved Maxwell equations in the presence of a point magnetic monopole. He was able to do so in a manner which used only the standard vector potential $\vec{A}$ and gave the correct ...
Fizikus's user avatar
  • 109
8 votes
2 answers
502 views

What was Dirac's motivation to study hypothetical magnetic monopoles?

The equation $$\boldsymbol{\nabla}\cdot\textbf{B}(\textbf{r})=0\tag{1} $$ dictates that there can be no isolated magetic monopole. What was then the motivation for Dirac to consider the consequences ...
SRS's user avatar
  • 26.8k
1 vote
1 answer
494 views

Singularity of $B$-field in a Dirac String

I was assigned this question related to Dirac strings: Given a vector potential $\vec{A}= \frac{1-\cos(\theta)}{r\sin(\theta)}\hat{\phi}$, show that there is a singularity in the $B$ field ...
Chris I's user avatar
  • 13
9 votes
1 answer
515 views

Why isn't Dirac credited with the discovery of the Aharonov-Bohm effect?

Above equation (8) of Dirac's famous 1931 paper in which he proposes his quantization condition for magnetic monopoles, he says "the change in [an electron's] phase around [a] closed curve [is] $2 \pi ...
tparker's user avatar
  • 48.4k
6 votes
1 answer
853 views

Which charge to use in the Dirac quantization condition?

I have a follow-up question to Dirac magnetic monopoles and quark fractional electric charge quantization, regarding whether the "unit of electric charge" in the Dirac quantization condition should be ...
tparker's user avatar
  • 48.4k
6 votes
1 answer
469 views

Dirac string and Nielsen–Ninomiya theorem

Nielsen–Ninomiya theorem states that in a lattice system one can not have just one chiral fermion. Fermions necessarily come in pairs of opposite chirality. I am wondering if one can "explain" this ...
Sergej Moroz's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
132 views

Is the Dirac string continuous?

Is the Dirac string continuous? Suppose I have a point magnetic charge. Do the necessary singularities of the vector potential lie on a continuous curve in 3D space?
André Guerra's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
2k views

Distinction of Dirac monopole and Polyakov-'t Hooft monopole

Can anybody explain the physical difference between Dirac monopole and Polyakov monopole? First, let me write down what I know briefly. Dirac monopole It comes from the symmetry of Maxwell ...
phy_math's user avatar
  • 3,622
0 votes
0 answers
79 views

Vector potential in presence of monopole [duplicate]

In this paper http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~jus/0302/song.pdf when Song was explaining dirac string. He said "In the presence of a magnetic monopole, the vector potential cannot be defined everywhere. ...
Fluctuations's user avatar

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