INFN, sezione di Bologna, viale Berti Pichat 6/2, 40127 Bologna, Italy.
Astrophysics Department CRAAG, B.P. 63, Bouzareah, Algiers, Algeria.
Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2019 Dec 30;377(2161):20180328. doi: 10.1098/rsta.2018.0328. Epub 2019 Nov 11.
A paper titled 'Quantised singularities in the electromagnetic field' by P.A.M. Dirac appeared in 1931 in the . The paper concerned '[ · ] the reason for the existence of a smallest electric charge.' Dirac showed that the quantization of the electric charge follows from the existence of at least one free magnetic charge, finding 'a connection between the smallest electric charge and the smallest magnetic pole', a connection called since then the 'Dirac relation'. That seminal paper marked the opening of a new research field that has grown considerably since then. The search for magnetic monopoles in cosmic radiation encompasses many fields, from particle physics to astrophysics, from the extremely small to cosmology. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Topological avatars of new physics'.
一篇题为《电磁场中的量子奇点》的论文由 P.A.M.狄拉克于 1931 年发表在《Proc. Roy. Soc. A》上。该论文涉及“[···]存在最小电荷量的原因。”狄拉克表明，电荷的量子化是由于至少存在一个自由磁荷，他发现“最小电荷量和最小磁极为”之间存在“联系”，此后这种联系被称为“狄拉克关系”。这篇开创性的论文开辟了一个新的研究领域，自那以后这个领域得到了很大的发展。在宇宙辐射中寻找磁单极子涵盖了许多领域，从粒子物理到天体物理，从极微小到宇宙学。本文是“新物理的拓扑化身”讨论会议议题的一部分。
