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Monopoles without strings: a conflict between the one-photon condition and duality invariance

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Foundations of Physics Letters

Abstract

We prove a new “no-go” theorem in the Dirac-algebra formulation of generalized electromagnetic theory, which includes magnetic monopoles and uses two potentialsA andM : It is impossible to construct a Lagrangian which is duality invariant and satisfies the one-photon assumption, from which Maxwell's equations and the equations of motion can be derived. Such a Lagrangian can be found only if either duality invariance or the one-photon assumption is sacrificed. These constraints as well as others discussed here are based on recently published results on monopoles without strings in the Dirac algebra, but they do not arise from any artificial restrictions in the Dirac-algebra formulation.

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Wei, J., Baylis, W.E. Monopoles without strings: a conflict between the one-photon condition and duality invariance. Found Phys Lett 4, 537–556 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00689890

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00689890

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