The 't Hooft-Polyakov Monopole in the Presence of a 't Hooft Operator

TL;DR

This paper constructs explicit BPS monopole configurations with 't Hooft operators in SO(3) and SU(2) gauge theories, revealing differences in screening and symmetry enhancement effects.

Contribution

It provides explicit solutions for monopoles with 't Hooft operators and analyzes their screening behavior in different gauge groups.

Findings

In SU(2), the monopole screens the 't Hooft operator completely.

In SO(3), the screening is impossible, leading to different symmetry effects.

The study highlights the role of gauge group structure in monopole-'t Hooft operator interactions.

Abstract

We present explicit BPS field configurations representing one nonabelian monopole with one minimal weight 't Hooft operator insertion. We explore the SO(3) and SU(2) gauge groups. In the case of SU(2) gauge group the minimal 't Hooft operator can be completely screened by the monopole. If the gauge group is SO(3), however, such screening is impossible. In the latter case we observe a different effect of the gauge symmetry enhancement in the vicinity of the 't Hooft operator.