Minicharges, Monopoles, and Magnetic Mixing

TL;DR

This paper explores the theoretical relationship between minicharged particles and magnetic monopoles in models with hidden sectors, introducing the concept of magnetic mixing and clarifying charge quantization constraints.

Contribution

It provides a theoretical framework linking MCPs and monopoles, including a generalization of the Witten effect called magnetic mixing, and clarifies Dirac charge quantization restrictions.

Findings

Monopoles can manifest as MCPs through magnetic mixing.

Dirac charge quantization constrains possible MCP and monopole charges.

The paper introduces the concept of magnetic mixing in hidden sector models.

Abstract

Minicharged particles (MCPs) arise naturally in extensions of the Standard Model with hidden sector gauge groups. Many such extensions also contain magnetic monopoles. For models containing both monopoles and MCPs, we clarify the role of the Dirac charge quantization condition in restricting the possible charges. We also show that monopoles of the hidden sector may manifest themselves as MCPs, by a generalization of the Witten effect, which we call "magnetic mixing".