Coulomb force between two Dirac monopoles

The model of magnetic monopoles that was proposed by Paul Dirac in 1931 has long been a subject of theoretical interest in physics because of its potential to explain the quantization of electric charge. While much attention has been given to non-Dirac monopoles, Dirac's model, which involves an infinitely thin solenoid known as a Dirac string, presents subtleties in the interaction between monopoles. In this paper, we show that the force between two Dirac monopoles obeys a Coulomb-like interaction law. This derivation offers an instructive exercise in fundamental electromagnetism concepts and is appropriate for undergraduate and early graduate-level students.

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Publication Details

Journal
American Journal of Physics
Published
2025-12-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0244845
Primary Topic
Quantum and Classical Electrodynamics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Coulomb force between two Dirac monopoles

A. G. Rojo
American Journal of Physics
Quantum and Classical Electrodynamics
article

Coulomb force between two Dirac monopoles

A. G. Rojo
article en

Abstract

The model of magnetic monopoles that was proposed by Paul Dirac in 1931 has long been a subject of theoretical interest in physics because of its potential to explain the quantization of electric charge. While much attention has been given to non-Dirac monopoles, Dirac's model, which involves an infinitely thin solenoid known as a Dirac string, presents subtleties in the interaction between monopoles. In this paper, we show that the force between two Dirac monopoles obeys a Coulomb-like interaction law. This derivation offers an instructive exercise in fundamental electromagnetism concepts and is appropriate for undergraduate and early graduate-level students.

American Journal of PhysicsVol. 94(1)
Oakland University (US)
Peace, Justice and strong institutions
Openalex Percentile: Top 33%
Quantum and Classical Electrodynamics
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