Can Magnetic Monopoles and Massive Photons Coexist in the Framework of the Same Classical Theory?

Abstract

It is well known that one cannot construct a self-consistent quantum field theory describing the nonrelativistic electromagnetic interaction mediated by massive photons between a point-like electric charge and a magnetic monopole. We show that, indeed, this inconsistency arises in the classical theory itself. No semiclassic approximation or limiting procedure forℏ→0is used. As a result, the string attached to the monopole emerges as visible also if finite-range electromagnetic interactions are considered in classical framework.