Electric Aharonov-Bohm effect without a loop in a Cooper pair box

TL;DR

This paper predicts a force-free electric Aharonov-Bohm effect in a Cooper pair box that does not require a closed loop, relying on superposition of charge states and local field interactions, simplifying experimental observation.

Contribution

It introduces a novel electric Aharonov-Bohm effect setup that avoids the need for a closed loop and fast potential switching, unlike previous topological approaches.

Findings

Phase shift depends on charge-state-dependent local field energy

Setup eliminates the need for a closed loop of charges

No pulse experiment required for potential switching

Abstract

We predict the force-free scalar Aharonov-Bohm effect of a Cooper pair box in an electric field at a distance without forming a closed path of the interfering charges. The superposition of different charge states plays a major role in eliminating the closed loop, which is distinct from the original topological Aharonov-Bohm effect. The phase shift is determined by the charge-state-dependent local field interaction energy. In addition, our proposed setup does not require a pulse experiment for fast switching of a potential, which eliminates the major experimental obstacle for observing the ideal electric Aharonov-Bohm effect.