Topology of the Aharonov-Bohm effect in different reference frames
Recent works showed that the Aharonov-Bohm (AB) phase difference for a quantum charged particle can be written in terms of electric and magnetic fluxes in a space-time surface whose boundaries are the possible particle worldlines in the interferometer, relative to the possible paths. After presenting this result in a more detailed way, reinforcing its topological nature, we study the magnetic and electric versions of the AB effect in different inertial reference frames. We find a particular reference frame for a magnetic AB effect where the magnetic flux has a null contribution for the AB phase difference, which is entirely due to an electric flux. Also, we find a particular reference frame for an electric AB effect where the electric flux has a null contribution for the AB phase difference, which is entirely due to a magnetic flux. In this sense, the nomenclatures magnetic AB effect and electric AB effect lose their meaning. We have electromagnetic AB effects.
Authors
- Karl J. Friston
Institutions
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Physical review. A/Physical review, A
- Published
- 2025-11-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1103/r1ht-zspf
- Primary Topic
- Quantum Mechanics and Non-Hermitian Physics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico