Related papers: Thoughts on Duality and Fundamental Constants
Duality is an indispensable tool for describing the strong-coupling dynamics of gauge theories. However, its actual realization is often quite subtle: quantities such as the partition function can transform covariantly, with degrees of…
For D=4 theories of a single U(1) gauge field strength coupled to gravity and matters, we show that the electric-magnetic duality can be formulated as an invariance of the actions. The symmetry is associated with duality rotation acting…
Starting from astrophysical indications that the fine structure constant might undergo a small cosmological time shift, we discuss the implications of such an effect from the point of view of particle physics. Grand unification implies…
In the first part of this work we apply Bohr (old or naive quantum atomic) theory for analysis of the remarkable electro-dynamical problem of magnetic monopoles. We reproduce formally exactly some basic elements of the Dirac magnetic…
This thesis is divided in two parts. The first part contains the study of some properties of the electromagnetic duality in 4 dimensions. An extended double potential formalism for linearized gravity is introduced which allows to write an…
In this paper the results obtained by Minic and his colleagues on the uncertainty relation of the pair "cosmological constant - volume of space-time", where cosmological constant is a dynamical quantity, are reconsidered and generalized…
We describe the interplay between electric-magnetic duality and higher symmetry in Maxwell theory. When the fine-structure constant is rational, the theory admits non-invertible symmetries which can be realized as composites of…
We derive the asymptotic symmetries of the manifestly duality invariant formulation of electromagnetism in Minkoswki space. We show that the action is invariant under two algebras of angle-dependent $u(1)$ transformations, one electric and…
We demonstrate for the first time and unexpectedly that the Principle of Relativity dictates the choice of the "gauge conditions" in the canonical example of a Gauge Theory namely Classical Electromagnetism. All the known "gauge conditions"…
We investigate duality properties of N-form fields, provide a symmetric way of coupling them to electric/magnetic sources, and check that these charges obey the appropriate quantization requirements. First, we contrast the D=4k case, in…
Fundamental duality is a concept which refers to two irreducible, heterogeneous principles which are in opposite and complementary of each other. The complementary principle in quantum mechanics is also praised by Bohr. This important…
Ratio of electron charge radius and Compton wavelength of electron is known to be equal to the dimensionless electromagnetic coupling constant $e^2 /\hbar c$. It is pointed out that the coupling constant has two alternative interpretations:…
Between Snyder's quantized space-time model in de Sitter space of momenta and the \dS special relativity on \dS-spacetime of radius $R$ with Beltrami coordinates, there is a one-to-one dual correspondence supported by a minimum…
We argue that the finiteness of quantum gravity amplitudes in fully compactified theories (at least in supersymmetric cases) leads to a bottom-up prediction for the existence of non-trivial dualities. In particular, finiteness requires the…
It is well known that the source-free Maxwell equations are invariant under electric-magnetic duality rotations, F --> F cos {\theta} + *F sin {\theta}. These transformations are indeed a symmetry of the theory in Noether sense. The…
Motivated by the Dirac idea that fundamental constant are dynamical variables and by conjectures on quantum structure of spacetime at small distances, we consider the possibility that Planck constant $\hbar$ is a time depending quantity,…
A systematic treatment is given of the Dirac quantisation condition for electromagnetic fluxes through two-cycles on a four-manifold space-time which can be very complicated topologically, provided only that it is connected, compact,…
The spontaneous breaking of $SO(10)$ via flipped $SU(5)$ to the Standard Model yields a novel scenario in which the superheavy topologically stable GUT monopole carrying a single unit ($2\pi/e$) of Dirac magnetic charge emerges from the…
In this work we consider determination of the basic Planck units (mass, length and charge) using two dynamical principles. First one is definition of the (reduced) Compton length of the physical system (which, as it is well-known, can be…
A loop space formulation of Yang-Mills theory high-lighting the significance of monopoles for the existence of gauge potentials is used to derive a generalization of electric-magnetic duality to the nonabelian theory. The result implies…