Fermion-monopole system reexamined

Journal Article · Sun May 15 04:00:00 EDT 1983 · Phys. Rev. D; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.27.2383· OSTI ID:5884591

Yamagishi, H

The problem of a Dirac particle in a fixed Abelian monopole field is reexamined. We find that the boundary conditions adopted by Kazama, Yang, and Goldhaber can be generalized. When the generalization is made, we are led to the existence of theta vacua. For massless fermions, chiral symmetry is spontaneously broken. A change in theta is equivalent to a chiral rotation, and the physics is independent of theta. For massive fermions, CP invariance is broken except for theta = 0,..pi... The vacuum charge for a unit pole obeys the Witten formula Q = -etheta/2..pi.. and the monopole becomes a dyon. The results for the two cases are related by an analog of Levinson's theorem. We also note the connection of our results with fractional quantum numbers on solitons, and with the eta invariant of Atiyah, Patodi, and Singer.

• Research Organization: Department of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544
• OSTI ID: 5884591
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. D; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. D; (United States) Vol. 27:10; ISSN PRVDA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

645301* -- High Energy Physics-- Particle Invariance Principles & Symmetries-- General-- (-1987)
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
CHARGED PARTICLES
CHIRAL SYMMETRY
CP INVARIANCE
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
HAMILTONIANS
INTERACTIONS
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
LEVINSON THEOREM
MAGNETIC MONOPOLES
MATHEMATICAL OPERATORS
MONOPOLES
PARTICLE INTERACTIONS
POSTULATED PARTICLES
QUANTUM NUMBERS
QUANTUM OPERATORS
SYMMETRY
SYMMETRY BREAKING