Dirac quantization condition
E566115
The Dirac quantization condition is a fundamental relation in quantum theory that requires electric and magnetic charges—such as those of hypothetical Dirac magnetic monopoles—to be quantized in discrete units.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
physical law
ⓘ
quantization condition ⓘ quantum theory result ⓘ theoretical physics concept ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
electric charge
ⓘ
electromagnetic field ⓘ magnetic charge ⓘ magnetic monopoles ⓘ |
| appliesToTheory |
electrodynamics with monopoles
ⓘ
gauge theory ⓘ quantum field theory ⓘ quantum mechanics ⓘ |
| assumes | existence of at least one magnetic monopole ⓘ |
| domain |
particle physics
ⓘ
quantum electrodynamics ⓘ theoretical physics ⓘ |
| ensures |
single-valuedness of charged particle wavefunction
ⓘ
unobservability of Dirac string ⓘ |
| expressedAs | e g = 2π n ħ c ⓘ |
| formulatedBy | Paul Dirac NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasConsequence |
explains observed quantization of electric charge
ⓘ
links topology to charge quantization ⓘ |
| hasMathematicalNature | topological quantization condition ⓘ |
| implies | product of electric and magnetic charges is quantized ⓘ |
| imposes | constraint on allowed charge values ⓘ |
| includesParameter | integer n ⓘ |
| influenced | development of monopole solutions in non-abelian gauge theories ⓘ |
| integerParameterRepresents | topological winding number ⓘ |
| motivatedBy | existence of magnetic monopoles ⓘ |
| predicts |
if any magnetic monopole exists then electric charge must be quantized
ⓘ
minimal magnetic charge for a given electric charge ⓘ |
| publishedIn | Proceedings of the Royal Society A NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Aharonov–Bohm effect
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Dirac monopole NERFINISHED ⓘ U(1) gauge theory NERFINISHED ⓘ fiber bundle topology ⓘ first Chern class ⓘ magnetic monopole ⓘ |
| relatesQuantity |
Planck constant ħ
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
electric charge e ⓘ magnetic charge g ⓘ speed of light c ⓘ |
| requires |
quantization of electric charge
ⓘ
quantization of magnetic charge ⓘ |
| usedIn |
grand unified theories
ⓘ
string theory monopole solutions ⓘ ’t Hooft–Polyakov monopole analysis NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| yearProposed | 1931 ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
't Hooft–Polyakov monopoles