Quantum magnetic monopole condensate

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that magnetic monopoles can form a quantum Bose condensate at low temperatures, leading to a superinsulating state with unique electromagnetic properties, extending classical monopole concepts into quantum physics.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of a quantum monopole Bose condensate, revealing its duality to superconductivity and its implications for quantum electromagnetic phenomena.

Findings

Monopoles form a quantum Bose condensate at low temperatures.

The monopole condensate results in a superinsulating state with infinite resistance.

Monopole supercurrents cause an electric Meissner effect and confinement of Cooper pairs.

Abstract

Despite decades-long efforts, magnetic monopoles were never found as elementary particles. Monopoles and associated currents were directly measured in experiments and identified as topological quasiparticle excitations in emergent condensed matter systems. These monopoles and the related electric-magnetic symmetry were restricted to classical electrodynamics, with monopoles behaving as classical particles. Here we show that the electric-magnetic symmetry is most fundamental and extends to full quantum behavior. We demonstrate that at low temperatures magnetic monopoles can form a quantum Bose condensate dual to the charge Cooper pair condensate in superconductors. The monopole Bose condensate manifests as a superinsulating state with infinite resistance, dual to superconductivity. Monopole supercurrents result in the electric analog of the Meissner effect and lead to linear confinement of Cooper pairs by Polyakov electric strings in analogy to quarks in hadrons.