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Title: Against a proposed alternative explanation of the Aharonov-Bohm effect.

Abstract

The Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect is understood to demonstrate that the Maxwell fields can act nonlocally in some situations. However it has been suggested from time to time that the AB effect is somehow a consequence of a local classical electromagnetic field phenomenon involving energy that is temporarily stored in the overlap between the external field and the field of which the beam particle is the source. That idea was shown in the past not to work for some models of the source of the external field. Here a more general proof is presented for the magnetic AB effect to show that the overlap energy is always compensated by another contribution to the energy of the magnetic field in such a way that the sum of the two is independent of the external flux. Therefore no such mechanism can underlie the AB effect.

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
989071
Report Number(s):
ANL/PHY/JA-66263
Journal ID: 1751-8113; TRN: US201019%%265
DOE Contract Number:  
DE-AC02-06CH11357
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
J. Phys. A
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 43; Journal Issue: Sep. 3, 2010
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH
Subject:
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; AHARONOV-BOHM EFFECT; ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS; MAGNETIC FIELDS

Citation Formats

Peshkin, M, and Physics. Against a proposed alternative explanation of the Aharonov-Bohm effect.. United States: N. p., 2010. Web. doi:10.1088/1751-8113/43/35/354031.
Peshkin, M, & Physics. Against a proposed alternative explanation of the Aharonov-Bohm effect.. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/1751-8113/43/35/354031
Peshkin, M, and Physics. 2010. "Against a proposed alternative explanation of the Aharonov-Bohm effect.". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/1751-8113/43/35/354031.
@article{osti_989071,
title = {Against a proposed alternative explanation of the Aharonov-Bohm effect.},
author = {Peshkin, M and Physics},
abstractNote = {The Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect is understood to demonstrate that the Maxwell fields can act nonlocally in some situations. However it has been suggested from time to time that the AB effect is somehow a consequence of a local classical electromagnetic field phenomenon involving energy that is temporarily stored in the overlap between the external field and the field of which the beam particle is the source. That idea was shown in the past not to work for some models of the source of the external field. Here a more general proof is presented for the magnetic AB effect to show that the overlap energy is always compensated by another contribution to the energy of the magnetic field in such a way that the sum of the two is independent of the external flux. Therefore no such mechanism can underlie the AB effect.},
doi = {10.1088/1751-8113/43/35/354031},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/989071}, journal = {J. Phys. A},
number = Sep. 3, 2010,
volume = 43,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Sep 03 00:00:00 EDT 2010},
month = {Fri Sep 03 00:00:00 EDT 2010}
}