Forty years after Cabrera's Valentine's Day event, the magnetic monopole remains the most beautiful prediction in theoretical physics. Every grand unified theory demands it. Every experiment fails to find it. This is the story of the most important particle that might not exist.
Ongoing InvestigationIn 1931, Paul Dirac showed that monopoles would explain charge quantization -- one of the deepest results in mathematical physics.
HistoricalA distributed network of superconducting quantum interference devices now spans four continents, watching for the telltale flux jump.
Current ProgramThe latest data from CERN's dedicated monopole detector sets new bounds on production cross-sections at 13.6 TeV.
Latest ResultsAlan Guth proposed cosmic inflation specifically to explain the absence of magnetic monopoles. The monopole problem birthed our best theory of the early universe.
Deep DiveEmergent magnetic monopoles in frustrated magnets provide a laboratory window into monopole dynamics, even if fundamental monopoles remain elusive.
Condensed MatterFebruary 14, 1982. One perfect signal. One Dirac quantum. Never repeated. The most romantic non-discovery in particle physics.
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