PIRSA:25020050

Video URL

https://pirsa.org/25020050

Abelian Instantons

Terning, J. (2025). Abelian Instantons. Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. https://pirsa.org/25020050

Terning, John. Abelian Instantons. Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Feb. 28, 2025, https://pirsa.org/25020050 

          @misc{ scivideos_PIRSA:25020050,
            doi = {10.48660/25020050},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/25020050},
            author = {Terning, John},
            keywords = {Particle Physics},
            language = {en},
            title = {Abelian Instantons},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics},
            year = {2025},
            month = {feb},
            note = {PIRSA:25020050 see, \url{https://scivideos.org/index.php/pirsa/25020050}}
          }

John Terning University of California, Davis

Talk numberPIRSA:25020050
DOI10.48660/25020050
Source RepositoryPIRSA
Collection
Talk Type Scientific Series
Subject

Abstract

It is usually assumed that 4D instantons can only arise in non-Abelian theories. One can, however, explicitly construct instantons for QED in the background of a Dirac monopole. This is the low-energy effective field theory for fermions interacting with a 't Hooft-Polyakov monopole. This theory posesses both a topological instanton number and 't Hooft zero modes. I will show how such instantons provide the underlying mechanism for the Callan-Rubakov process: monopole-catalyzed baryon decay with a cross section that saturates the unitarity bound.