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arXiv:2407.06010 · Modern Physics Letters A

Sharpening the gravitational Aharonov–Bohm effect

Akshat Pandey

Published Aug 29, 2024• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We study the recent gravitational analogue of the Aharonov–Bohm effect for a classical system, namely a complex scalar field. We use this example to demonstrate that the Aharonov–Bohm effect in principle has nothing to do with quantum-mechanics. We then discuss how this classical field description can be connected to the standard one particle quantum description of the Aharonov–Bohm effect.

DOI
10.1142/s0217732324501165

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More variations on Aharonov-Bohm

Herman Batelaan, Akira Tonomura

Batelaan and Tonomura reply: Werner Ehrenberg and Raymond Siday did propose the magnetic version of what is now called the Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect, 1 1. A. Tonomura, Electron Holography, 2nd ed., Springer, New York (1999), p. 63. as Peter Sturrock and Timothy Groves point out. We had included this reference in the early versions of our manuscript. However, limited space directed the focus of the paper to the “effect without a force” discussion, rather than a historic perspective.Alexander Ershkovich notes that in the Hamilton-Jacobi formulation of classical mechanics, both the action and the Hamiltonian depend on the vector potential; he ponders whether the AB effect might have a classical manifestation. Newton’s formulation of classical mechanics is equivalent to the Hamilton-Jacobi formulation. Because the absence of a field means the absence of a force in Newton’s formulation, classical trajectories are unaffected. That result is not expected to change in the equivalent Hamilton-Jacobi formulation. Thus the AB effect is usually considered to be a pure quantum effect. On the other hand, we may interpret “classical mechanics” in a broader sense, such as in general relativistic classical mechanics. In electrodynamics classical trajectories are not affected by a localized magnetic field through which they do not pass. However, considering that the energy content of a current-carrying solenoid is larger than that of one without current, the trajectory is clearly affected gravitationally, at least in principle. Though not due to the AB effect, that result elucidates that a generalized description may lead to other insights. The Hamilton-Jacobi equation may be an example of a theoretical vehicle by which to explore generalizations such as relativistic effects, separation of variables, multiple particle effects, or the classical limit of the de Broglie-Bohm theory. C. Alden Mead recollects interesting statements made by Bohm. We agree fully with Bohm’s statement that “it would be much more revolutionary for this effect to be wrong than for it to be right.” Attempts to disprove the AB effect should be seen for what they are, outright attempts at finding limits to the validity of quantum mechanics itself. And although quantum mechanics is unfinished with respect to, say, de-coherence theory and quantum gravity, the AB effect appears to be well within its validity range.We do not share Bohm’s astonishment that, as Mead relates, “certain physicists refused to accept the AB effect and even went to great lengths to try to disprove it.” Rather, to risk overusing a platitude, extraordinary phenomena should be exposed to extraordinary scrutiny. Failed attempts to disprove an idea often provide insight into its fundamental character. In that context, we reiterate the main message of our article. Many facets of the AB effect—for example, the electric version, the dispersionless nature, relativistic momentum conservation, the relation to the Mott-Schwinger effect, and the AB effects for other than electromagnetic gauge-invariant theories—need exploration. We predict a bright future for the AB effect, with many surprises to come.REFERENCESection:ChooseTop of pageREFERENCE <<1. A. Tonomura, Electron Holography, 2nd ed., Springer, New York (1999), p. 63. Google ScholarCrossref© 2010 American Institute of Physics.

Physics Today•Apr 1, 2010•1 citation
We study the recent gravitational analogue of the Aharonov–Bohm effect for a classical system, namely a complex scalar field. We use this example to demonstrate that the Aharonov–Bohm effect in principle has nothing to do with quantum-mechanics. We then discuss how this classical field description can be connected to the standard one particle quantum description of the Aharonov–Bohm effect.
The analogy between general relativity and electromagnetism suggests that there is a gravitational analog of the Aharonov–Bohm effect. There is indeed such an effect. Since gravitation couples to all fields, the effect should exist for photons. There is a close connection with the Sagnac effect. Both the electromagnetic field and the gravitational field are classical fields, so the effect could have been predicted in the interval between the publication of the theory of general relativity in 1915 and the discovery of quantum mechanics in the mid 1920s.
The Aharonov–Bohm effect is a quantum mechanical phenomenon that demonstrates how potentials can have observable effects even when the classical fields associated with those potentials are absent. Initially proposed for electromagnetic interactions, this effect has been experimentally confirmed and extensively studied over the years. More recently, the effect has been observed in the context of gravitational interactions using atom interferometry. Additionally, recent predictions suggest that temporal variations in the phase of an electron wave function will induce modulation sidebands in the energy levels of an atomic clock, solely driven by a time-varying scalar gravitational potential. In this study, we consider the atomic clock as a two-level system undergoing continuous Rabi oscillations between the electron's ground and excited state. We assume the photons driving the transition are precisely frequency-stabilized to match the transition, enabling accurate clock comparisons. Our analysis takes into account, that when an atom transitions from its ground state to an excited state, it absorbs energy, increasing its mass according to the mass-energy equivalence principle. Due to the mass difference between the two energy levels, we predict that an atomic clock in an eccentric orbit experiencing a time-varying gravitational potential, will exhibit a constant frequency redshift relative to a ground clock, corresponding to the orbit's average gravitational redshift. Additionally, modulation sidebands will appear, and detecting these predicted sidebands would confirm the scalar gravitational Aharonov–Bohm effect.
We study the quantum interference of two paths that enclose a slowly rotating, infinitely long, and infinitely thin cylindrical shell, using the spacetime metric induced by the gravitational source. We show that the rotation of the shell affects the interference pattern even though it does not contribute to the classical motion of particles propagating outside the shell. Furthermore, we find that the gravitomagnetic field is non-vanishing only in the region inside the shell, yet it contributes to the interference taking place entirely in the exterior region. This phenomenon is therefore a gravitational analogue of the Aharonov-Bohm effect, in which a field confined to an inaccessible region influences the quantum phase of particles propagating in a field-free region.
We investigate the gravitational Aharonov-Bohm effect by placing a quantum system in free fall around a gravitating body, e.g., a satellite orbiting the Earth. Since the system is in free fall, by the equivalence principle, the quantum system is local in flat, gravity free space-time---it is screened from the gravitational field. For a slightly elliptical orbit, the gravitational potential will change with time. This leads to the energy levels of the quantum system developing sidebands which is the signature for this version of the Aharonov-Bohm effect. This contrasts with the normal signature of the Aharonov-Bohm effect of shifting of interference fringes.
Batelaan and Tonomura reply: Werner Ehrenberg and Raymond Siday did propose the magnetic version of what is now called the Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect, 1 1. A. Tonomura, Electron Holography, 2nd ed., Springer, New York (1999), p. 63. as Peter Sturrock and Timothy Groves point out. We had included this reference in the early versions of our manuscript. However, limited space directed the focus of the paper to the “effect without a force” discussion, rather than a historic perspective.Alexander Ershkovich notes that in the Hamilton-Jacobi formulation of classical mechanics, both the action and the Hamiltonian depend on the vector potential; he ponders whether the AB effect might have a classical manifestation. Newton’s formulation of classical mechanics is equivalent to the Hamilton-Jacobi formulation. Because the absence of a field means the absence of a force in Newton’s formulation, classical trajectories are unaffected. That result is not expected to change in the equivalent Hamilton-Jacobi formulation. Thus the AB effect is usually considered to be a pure quantum effect. On the other hand, we may interpret “classical mechanics” in a broader sense, such as in general relativistic classical mechanics. In electrodynamics classical trajectories are not affected by a localized magnetic field through which they do not pass. However, considering that the energy content of a current-carrying solenoid is larger than that of one without current, the trajectory is clearly affected gravitationally, at least in principle. Though not due to the AB effect, that result elucidates that a generalized description may lead to other insights. The Hamilton-Jacobi equation may be an example of a theoretical vehicle by which to explore generalizations such as relativistic effects, separation of variables, multiple particle effects, or the classical limit of the de Broglie-Bohm theory. C. Alden Mead recollects interesting statements made by Bohm. We agree fully with Bohm’s statement that “it would be much more revolutionary for this effect to be wrong than for it to be right.” Attempts to disprove the AB effect should be seen for what they are, outright attempts at finding limits to the validity of quantum mechanics itself. And although quantum mechanics is unfinished with respect to, say, de-coherence theory and quantum gravity, the AB effect appears to be well within its validity range.We do not share Bohm’s astonishment that, as Mead relates, “certain physicists refused to accept the AB effect and even went to great lengths to try to disprove it.” Rather, to risk overusing a platitude, extraordinary phenomena should be exposed to extraordinary scrutiny. Failed attempts to disprove an idea often provide insight into its fundamental character. In that context, we reiterate the main message of our article. Many facets of the AB effect—for example, the electric version, the dispersionless nature, relativistic momentum conservation, the relation to the Mott-Schwinger effect, and the AB effects for other than electromagnetic gauge-invariant theories—need exploration. We predict a bright future for the AB effect, with many surprises to come.REFERENCESection:ChooseTop of pageREFERENCE <<1. A. Tonomura, Electron Holography, 2nd ed., Springer, New York (1999), p. 63. Google ScholarCrossref© 2010 American Institute of Physics.