A toy model of (grand) unified monopoles

TL;DR

This paper investigates a toy model with multiple gauge groups to understand how topological defects unify across them, offering insights into phenomena like fractional electric charge of quarks and implications for phase diagrams.

Contribution

It introduces a simple unification constraint in a U(1)x U(1) model, analyzing its effects on topological defects and phase structure, providing a new perspective on gauge theory topologies.

Findings

Unification constraint links topological defects across gauge groups.

Explains fractional electric charge of quarks through defect unification.

Analyzes phase diagram implications in the toy model.

Abstract

We explore the old idea that, in a theory containing several gauge groups, the topological defects of one gauge group coincide with those of another gauge group. This simple 'unification' constraint has deep consequences, the best known of which is a natural explanation of the fractional electric charge of quarks. Here we explore the consequences of this idea for the phase diagram, in a toy model U(1)x U(1).