Confinement in the presence of external fields and axions

Abstract

For a theory with a pseudo scalar coupling $\phi F\tilde F$ and in the case that there is a constant electric or magnetic strength expectation value, we compute the interaction potential within the structure of the gauge-invariant but path-dependent variables formalism. While in the case of a constant electric field strength expectation value the static potential remains Coulombic, in the case of a constant magnetic field strength the potential energy is the sum of a Yukawa and a linear potentials, leading to the confinement of static charges.