Can magnetic monopoles and massive photons coexist in the framework of the same classical theory? (Q549031)

Summary: 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 for \(\hslash\to 0\) is used. As a result, the string attached to the monopole emerges as visible also if finite-range electromagnetic interactions are considered in a classical framework.