Magnetic charges and local duality symmetry - II

Abstract

The notion of magnetic charges is intimately linked with the global duality symmetry exhibited by the extended Maxwell equation. We show that duality symmetry is meaning only in 3+1 dimensional space- times, implying thereby that magnetic monopoles as fundamental particle can be postulated only 3+1 dimensions. We also study the consequences of elevating the status of duality symmetry to a local symmetry. Local duality symmetry is achieved by introducing a complex scalar field in the theory. The new theory is generalization of the extended Maxwell theory. In this formalism, the electromagnetic charges arise due to a spontaneous symmetry breaking. By choosing a suitable gauge one can recover ordinary electrodynamics without the magnetic charges.