English

Twisted Alice Loops as Monopoles

High Energy Physics - Theory 2015-07-27 v2 Soft Condensed Matter

Abstract

Symmetry breaking can produce ``Alice'' strings, which alter scattered charges and carry monopole number and charge when twisted into loops. We apply recent topological results, fixing Alice strings' stability and prescribing their twisting into loops with monopole charge, to several models. We show that Alice strings of condensed matter systems (nematic liquid crystals, He-3A, and related systems of non-chiral Bose condensates and amorphous chiral superconductors) are topologically Alice, and carry fundamental monopole charge when twisted into loops. They might thus be observed indirectly, not as strings, but as loop-like point defects. Other models yield Alice loops that carry only deposited, and not fundamental, charge.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.hep-th/0304162,
  title  = {Twisted Alice Loops as Monopoles},
  author = {Katherine Benson and Tom Imbo},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:hep-th/0304162},
  year   = {2015}
}

Comments

10 pages, no figures submitted 4/17/03; updated 12/5/03 with 1 technical qualification, refocused introduction, clearer nomenclature

R2 v1 2026-07-22T15:16:44.789Z