Monopole-antimonopole pair production by magnetic fields

Area of Science:

• Theoretical Physics
• Quantum Field Theory
• Cosmic Physics

Background:

• Quantum electrodynamics describes electron-positron pair production via the Schwinger process in strong electric fields.
• This process involves quantum tunneling through a potential barrier.
• A similar phenomenon is predicted for magnetic monopoles in strong magnetic fields, if they exist.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explain the electromagnetic dual of the Schwinger process for magnetic monopole production.
• To compute the production rate of monopole-antimonopole pairs using reliable semiclassical techniques.
• To discuss bounds on magnetic monopole masses based on observed strong magnetic fields.

Main Methods:

• Semiclassical techniques are employed to calculate the production rate.
• This approach bypasses the need for perturbation theory, ensuring reliability even with strong coupling.
• The study analyzes data from magnetars and large Hadron collider experiments.

Main Results:

• The production rate of monopole-antimonopole pairs can be reliably computed.
• The strongest cosmic magnetic fields (in magnetars) and those from heavy ion collisions (LHC) provide constraints on monopole masses.
• Theoretical calculations are robust despite potential strong coupling of monopoles.

Conclusions:

• The electromagnetic dual of the Schwinger process offers a pathway to probe for magnetic monopoles.
• Observational data from extreme astrophysical environments and particle collisions can constrain fundamental physics parameters.
• Further theoretical work is needed to address open questions in the calculation of monopole production.