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arXiv:2605.10986

A Structural Link Between the Bohm Quantum Potential and the Scalar Mode of Aharonov-Bohm Electrodynamics in a Bosonic Schrödinger Model

Rosario Pullano, Giovanni Modanese

Published May 9, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

We discuss a formal and physical connection between the Bohm quantum potential and the scalar mode of the Aharonov-Bohm extension of electrodynamics. The analysis is motivated by the effective non-relativistic bosonic model recently proposed by Minotti and Modanese, in which the electromagnetic field is coupled to a conserved current while the field equations contain an additional source term. In the Madelung representation $ψ=R\exp(iθ/\hbar)$, the Bohm quantum potential $ Q_B=-\frac{\hbar^2}{2m}\frac{\nabla^2 R}{R} $ is determined by the relative curvature $\nabla^2R/R$ of the amplitude profile $R$. In the same bosonic model, the scalar electromagnetic mode $S=\partial_μA^μ$ is sourced by the extra-current $I=\partial_μj^μ$, which contains the density-weighted electromagnetic combination $\nabla\cdot(R^2\mathbf A)$. Thus $Q_B$ does not act as a direct source of $S$; rather, the two quantities probe different differential aspects of the same amplitude profile: $Q_B$ is sensitive to the relative curvature of $R$, whereas the source of $S$ is sensitive to its density and gradient content through $R^2$ and $\nabla R$. We show that, once boundary and normalization data are fixed, this observation may be written as a mediated functional dependence of $S$ on $Q_B$ through $R$. We also clarify the physical status of $Q_B$: although it is state-dependent and should not be interpreted as an autonomous external potential, its density-weighted integral gives the amplitude-gradient energy, equivalently a Fisher-information contribution. This makes $Q_B$ a compact diagnostic of quantum pressure, rigidity, and inhomogeneity of a bosonic condensate. The resulting link with $S$ is therefore best understood as a structural relation between the order-parameter amplitude profile of the condensate and the scalar sector of the extended electromagnetic theory.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2605.10986

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We discuss a formal and physical connection between the Bohm quantum potential and the scalar mode of the Aharonov-Bohm extension of electrodynamics. The analysis is motivated by the effective non-relativistic bosonic model recently proposed by Minotti and Modanese, in which the electromagnetic field is coupled to a conserved current while the field equations contain an additional source term. In the Madelung representation ψ=Rexp⁡(iθ/ℏ)ψ=R\exp(iθ/\hbar)ψ=Rexp(iθ/ℏ), the Bohm quantum potential QB=−ℏ22m∇2RRQ_B=-\frac{\hbar^2}{2m}\frac{\nabla^2 R}{R}QB​=−2mℏ2​R∇2R​ is determined by the relative curvature ∇2R/R\nabla^2R/R∇2R/R of the amplitude profile RRR. In the same bosonic model, the scalar electromagnetic mode S=∂μAμS=\partial_μA^μS=∂μ​Aμ is sourced by the extra-current I=∂μjμI=\partial_μj^μI=∂μ​jμ, which contains the density-weighted electromagnetic combination ∇⋅(R2A)\nabla\cdot(R^2\mathbf A)∇⋅(R2A). Thus QBQ_BQB​ does not act as a direct source of SSS; rather, the two quantities probe different differential aspects of the same amplitude profile: QBQ_BQB​ is sensitive to the relative curvature of RRR, whereas the source of SSS is sensitive to its density and gradient content through R2R^2R2 and ∇R\nabla R∇R. We show that, once boundary and normalization data are fixed, this observation may be written as a mediated functional dependence of SSS on QBQ_BQB​ through RRR. We also clarify the physical status of QBQ_BQB​: although it is state-dependent and should not be interpreted as an autonomous external potential, its density-weighted integral gives the amplitude-gradient energy, equivalently a Fisher-information contribution. This makes QBQ_BQB​ a compact diagnostic of quantum pressure, rigidity, and inhomogeneity of a bosonic condensate. The resulting link with SSS is therefore best understood as a structural relation between the order-parameter amplitude profile of the condensate and the scalar sector of the extended electromagnetic theory.
The extended Aharonov-Bohm electrodynamics has a simple formal structure and allows to couple the e.m. field also to currents which are not locally conserved, like those resulting from certain non-local effective quantum models of condensed matter. As it often happens in physics and mathematics when one tries to extend the validity of some equations or operations, new perspectives emerge in comparison to Maxwell theory, and some ''exotic'' phenomena are predicted. For the Aharonov-Bohm theory the main new feature is that the potentials AμA^μAμ become univocally defined and can be measured with probes in which the ''extra-current'' I=∂μjμI=\partial_μj^μI=∂μ​jμ is not zero at some points. As a consequence, it is possible in principle to detect pure gauge-waves with E=B=0\mathbf{E}=\mathbf{B}=0E=B=0, which would be regarded as non-physical in the Maxwell gauge-invariant theory with local current conservation. We discuss in detail the theoretical aspects of this phenomenon and propose an experimental realization of the detectors. A full treatment of wave propagation in anomalous media with extra-currents and of energy-momentum balance issues is also given.
In this article, we start our discussion on the Aharonov-Bohm effect then raise a plausible interpretation within the quantum electrodynamics (QED) framework. We provide a quantum treatment of the source of the electromagnetic potential and argue that the underlying mechanism in AB effect can be viewed as interactions between electrons described by QED theory where the interactions are mediated by virtue photons. On further analysis, we claim that the framework of one particle quantum mechanics (OPQM) can be shown, in general, as a mathematically approximated model which can be reformulated from QED theory. In addition, the classical Maxwell equations are derived from QED scattering process while both classical electromagnetic fields and potentials serve as mathematical tools that are constructed to approximate the interactions among elementary particles described by QED physics, i.e. neither classical fields nor potentials represent any real entities of nature. At the conclusion of this article, we make a few remarks on the hypnosis of the existence of magnetic monopoles.
The gauge invariance of the Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect with a quantum treatment for the electromagnetic field is demonstrated. We provide an exact solution for the electromagnetic ground energy due to the interaction of the quantum electromagnetic field with the classical charges and currents that act as sources of the potentials in a classical description, in the Lorenz gauge. Then, we use first-order perturbation theory to compute an extra change on the electromagnetic ground energy due to the presence of a quantum charged particle with known wave function in the system. This energy in general depends on the quantum particle path in an interferometer, which results in an AB phase difference between the paths. The gauge invariance of this AB phase difference is then shown for the magnetic, electric, and the recently proposed electrodynamic versions of the AB effect. However, the AB phase difference could depend on the gauge for nonclosed paths, which reinforces the view that it only can be measured in closed paths.
Abstract The extended Aharonov–Bohm electrodynamics has a simple formal structure and allows to couple the e.m. field also to currents which are not locally conserved, like those resulting from certain non-local effective quantum models of condensed matter. As it often happens in physics and mathematics when one tries to extend the validity of some equations or operations, new perspectives emerge in comparison to Maxwell theory, and some “exotic” phenomena are predicted. For the Aharonov–Bohm theory the main new feature is that the potentials AμA^\mu Aμ A μ become univocally defined and can be measured with probes in which the “extra-current” I=∂μjμI=\partial _\mu j^\mu I=∂μ​jμ I = ∂ μ j μ is not zero at some points. As a consequence, it is possible in principle to detect pure gauge-waves with E=B=0{\textbf{E}}={\textbf{B}}=0E=B=0 E = B = 0 , which would be regarded as non-physical in the Maxwell gauge-invariant theory with local current conservation. We discuss in detail the theoretical aspects of this phenomenon and propose an experimental realization of the detectors. A full treatment of wave propagation in anomalous media with extra-currents and of energy–momentum balance issues is also given.
The Aharonov-Bohm (AB) phase is usually associated with a line integral of the electromagnetic vector potential generated by an external current source, such as a solenoid. According to this interpretation, the AB phase of a nonclosed path cannot be observed, as the integral depends on the gauge choice of the vector potential. Recent attempts to explain the AB effect through the interaction between a charged particle and an external current, mediated by the exchange of quantum photons, have assumed that the AB phase shift is proportional to the change in interaction energy between the charged particle and the external current source. As a result, these attempts argue that the AB phase change along a path does not depend on the gauge choice, and that the AB phase shift for a nonclosed path is in principle measurable. In this paper, we critically examine this claim and demonstrate that the phase obtained through this approach is actually gauge dependent and not an observable for a nonclosed path. We also provide a brief critical discussion of the proposed experiment for observing the AB phase shift of a nonclosed path.
The standard semiclassical treatment of the Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect, which predicts no observable phase shift for open electron paths in field-free regions due to gauge dependence, is shown to be incomplete. By fully quantizing both the probe electron and the electromagnetic source within quantum electrodynamics (QED), we derive an effective action that decomposes the AB phase into two equal contributions: a gauge-dependent probe phase from the source's potential acting on the electron, and a gauge-invariant source phase arising from the electron's quantum backreaction on the source via virtual-photon exchange. For open paths, where the probe phase vanishes under gauge choice, the source phase persists as a measurable part of the closed-loop value, isolated through a polarization--magnetization decomposition that separates its invariant bulk from a gauge-dependent boundary term. This uncovers a leading-order QED correction to nonrelativistic quantum mechanics, resolves longstanding debates on the AB phase's origin and locality, and refines gauge principles by revealing hidden gauge invariants in formally gauge-dependent quantities. While challenging to test directly, a conceptual scheme involving phase transfer to auxiliary qubits illustrates its potential observability, emphasizing its novelty beyond conventional closed-loop paradigms.