Dyon
Encyclopedia
In physics
, a dyon is a hypothetical particle in 4-dimensional theories with both electric
and magnetic
charges. A dyon with a zero electric charge
is usually referred to as a magnetic monopole
. Many grand unified theories
predict the existence of both magnetic monopoles and dyons.
Dyons were first proposed by
Julian Schwinger
in 1969 as a phenomenological alternative to
quarks. He extended the Dirac quantization condition to the dyon
and used the model to predict the existence of a particle with the
properties of the J/ψ meson prior to its discovery in 1974.
The allowed charges of dyons are restricted by the Dirac quantization condition. This states in particular that their magnetic charge must be integral, and that their electric charges must all be equal modulo 1. The Witten effect, demonstrated by Edward Witten
in his 1979 paper Dyons of Charge eθ/2π, states that the electric charges of dyons must all be equal, modulo one, to the product of their magnetic charge and the theta angle of the theory. In particular, if a theory preserves CP symmetry then the electric charges of all dyons are integer
s.
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, a dyon is a hypothetical particle in 4-dimensional theories with both electric
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
and magnetic
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
charges. A dyon with a zero electric charge
Electric charge
Electric charge is a physical property of matter that causes it to experience a force when near other electrically charged matter. Electric charge comes in two types, called positive and negative. Two positively charged substances, or objects, experience a mutual repulsive force, as do two...
is usually referred to as a magnetic monopole
Magnetic monopole
A magnetic monopole is a hypothetical particle in particle physics that is a magnet with only one magnetic pole . In more technical terms, a magnetic monopole would have a net "magnetic charge". Modern interest in the concept stems from particle theories, notably the grand unified and superstring...
. Many grand unified theories
Grand unification theory
The term Grand Unified Theory, often abbreviated as GUT, refers to any of several similar candidate models in particle physics in which at high-energy, the three gauge interactions of the Standard Model which define the electromagnetic, weak, and strong interactions, are merged into one single...
predict the existence of both magnetic monopoles and dyons.
Dyons were first proposed by
Julian Schwinger
Julian Schwinger
Julian Seymour Schwinger was an American theoretical physicist. He is best known for his work on the theory of quantum electrodynamics, in particular for developing a relativistically invariant perturbation theory, and for renormalizing QED to one loop order.Schwinger is recognized as one of the...
in 1969 as a phenomenological alternative to
quarks. He extended the Dirac quantization condition to the dyon
and used the model to predict the existence of a particle with the
properties of the J/ψ meson prior to its discovery in 1974.
The allowed charges of dyons are restricted by the Dirac quantization condition. This states in particular that their magnetic charge must be integral, and that their electric charges must all be equal modulo 1. The Witten effect, demonstrated by Edward Witten
Edward Witten
Edward Witten is an American theoretical physicist with a focus on mathematical physics who is currently a professor of Mathematical Physics at the Institute for Advanced Study....
in his 1979 paper Dyons of Charge eθ/2π, states that the electric charges of dyons must all be equal, modulo one, to the product of their magnetic charge and the theta angle of the theory. In particular, if a theory preserves CP symmetry then the electric charges of all dyons are integer
Integer
The integers are formed by the natural numbers together with the negatives of the non-zero natural numbers .They are known as Positive and Negative Integers respectively...
s.
External links
- Chanyal et al, Generalized Octonion Electrodynamics 2010 http://www.springerlink.com/content/w772316hu5646807/