A macroscopic test of the Aharonov-Bohm effect

TL;DR

This paper reports a macroscopic experiment demonstrating the absence of forces in the Aharonov-Bohm effect, confirming its purely quantum mechanical nature beyond microscopic scales.

Contribution

It provides the first macroscopic test showing no forces are involved in the Type-I Aharonov-Bohm effect, supporting its quantum mechanical interpretation.

Findings

No measurable forces detected in macroscopic AB setup

Confirms the purely quantum nature of the AB effect at large scales

Supports the theoretical distinction between quantum and classical effects

Abstract

The Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect is a purely quantum mechanical effect. The original (classified as Type-I) AB-phase shift exists in experimental conditions where the electromagnetic fields and forces are zero. It is the absence of forces that makes the AB-effect entirely quantum mechanical. Although the AB-phase shift has been demonstrated unambiguously, the absence of forces in Type-I AB-effects has never been shown. Here, we report the observation of the absence of time delays associated with forces of the magnitude needed to explain the AB-phase shift for a macroscopic system.