A Remark on Witten Effect for QCD Monopoles in Matrix Quantum Mechanics

TL;DR

This paper provides evidence that matrix quantum mechanics models 't Hooft's monopoles in QCD, showing how the Witten effect causes monopoles to become dyons with electric charges, affecting their interactions.

Contribution

It extends previous work by analyzing the impact of a non-zero theta-term on monopoles, demonstrating the Witten effect within the matrix quantum mechanics framework.

Findings

Dyons acquire electric charge due to the Witten effect at non-zero theta.

The attractive force between dyon-anti-dyon pairs increases with theta.

Supports the interpretation of matrix models as descriptions of QCD monopoles.

Abstract

In a recent work (hep-th/9905198) we argued that a certain matrix quantum mechanics may describe 't Hooft's monopoles which emerge in QCD when the theory is projected to its maximal Abelian subgroup. In this note we find further evidence which supports this interpretation. We study the theory with a non-zero theta-term. In this case, 't Hooft's QCD monopoles become dyons since they acquire electric charges due to the Witten effect. We calculate a potential between a dyon and an anti-dyon in the matrix quantum mechanics, and find that the attractive force between them grows as the theta angle increases.