Topological Stabilization via Higgs and $Z$-Boson Mediated Repulsions in Electroweak Monopole-Antimonopole Pairs

TL;DR

This paper uncovers two distinct repulsive mechanisms in electroweak monopole-antimonopole pairs, involving Higgs and Z-boson fields, which together stabilize these topological configurations contrary to their natural attraction.

Contribution

It reveals the combined Higgs and Z-boson mediated repulsions as a novel stabilization mechanism for electroweak monopole-antimonopole pairs, extending understanding of topological solitons.

Findings

Higgs-mediated repulsion depends non-monotonically on topological charge and Higgs self-coupling.

Z-boson field creates localized repulsive cores of radius ~0.8 m_W^{-1}.

The combined effects stabilize monopole-antimonopole pairs against magnetic attraction.

Abstract

We identify two distinct repulsive mechanisms in the Cho-Maison monopole-antimonopole pair (MAP) configuration. Our results show that the Higgs-mediated repulsion exhibits a non-monotonic dependence on both topological charge and Higgs self-coupling, confirming its topological origin while revealing a mass-controlled range transition that deviates from the exponential form of a Yukawa potential. Simultaneously, the $Z$-boson field generates localized repulsive cores of radius $R_c\approx0.8\,m_W^{-1}$, consistent with the weak interaction scale. The collaborative effect of these mechanisms -- operating in different physics regimes -- counteracts the magnetic attraction, establishing a stabilization paradigm for the Cho-Maison MAP that extends naturally to other topological solitons in the Standard Model and various systems described by effective field theories.