On the charge density and asymptotic tail of a monopole

We propose a new definition for the abelian magnetic charge density of a nonabelian monopole, based on zero-modes of an associated Dirac operator. Unlike the standard definition of the charge density, this density is smooth in the core of the monopole. We show that this charge density induces a magnetic field whose expansion in powers of 1/r agrees with that of the conventional asymptotic magnetic field to all orders. We also show that the asymptotic field can be easily calculated from the spectral curve. Explicit examples are given for known monopole solutions.