Aharonov-Casher and shielded Aharonov-Bohm effects with a quantum electromagnetic field

TL;DR

This paper employs a covariant formalism to analyze the electric and magnetic Aharonov-Bohm and Aharonov-Casher effects, demonstrating that the magnetic effect persists even with shielding, aligning with experimental results.

Contribution

It introduces a covariant approach to describe these quantum effects through local interactions, clarifying their persistence under shielding conditions.

Findings

Magnetic Aharonov-Bohm effect persists with perfect shielding.

Local interactions of quantum particles with fields explain the effects.

The formalism aligns with experimental observations.

Abstract

We use a covariant formalism that is capable of describing the electric and magnetic versions of the Aharonov-Bohm effect, as well as the Aharonov-Casher effect, through local interactions of charges and currents with the quantum electromagnetic field. By considering that only local interactions of a quantum particle with the quantum field can affect its behavior, we show that the magnetic Aharonov-Bohm effect must be present even if the solenoid generating the magnetic field is shielded by a perfect conductor, as experimentally demonstrated.