Further Considerations Regarding the Aharonov-Bohm Effect and the Wavefunction of the Entire System

TL;DR

This paper refines the understanding of the Aharonov-Bohm effect by emphasizing the importance of the entire system's wavefunction, clarifying misconceptions about electrostatic and magnetic variants, and analyzing experimental interpretations.

Contribution

It demonstrates that the electrostatic Aharonov-Bohm effect does not exist and clarifies the conditions under which magnetic phase shifts occur, considering the system's wavefunction and shielding effects.

Findings

Electrostatic AB effect does not exist.

Interference attributed to electrostatic AB is actually magnetic AB.

Shielding can eliminate phase shifts in magnetic AB effect.

Abstract

In an earlier paper it was demonstrated that the hypothesized electrostatic version of the Aharonov-Bohm ("AB") effect does not exist. The conclusion follows straightforwardly once one recognizes that interference takes place in the configuration space of the entire system, including the experimental apparatus, and the wavefunction of the apparatus cannot be ignored. Two additional results are presented here. 1. Observations of interference that had been attributed to an analogue of the electrostatic AB effect (or "scalar effect") are actually due to a magnetic AB effect. 2. In the original magnetic AB effect itself, there is no phase shift if it is possible effectively to shield the solenoid from the influence of the passing electron. This result is not in conflict with the landmark experiments of Tonomura and colleagues if Wang's recent claim is correct, that superconductive shielding could not have isolated the toroidal magnet from the magnetic pulse of the passing electron.