Free-space Aharonov--Bohm (AB) Bessel modes are known to carry a flux-dependent azimuthal Schrödinger probability current and kinetic orbital angular momentum. We extend this response to the spin-resolved conserved Dirac current of a core-excluded finite-wall annular guide and show that confinement converts its surviving orbital component into a transverse Aharonov--Bohm (TAB) propagation phase for a straight traveling mode whose centroid path has zero projection onto $\mathbf A$. The radial-gradient current reverses under spin reversal; retaining the complete evanescent tail closes it as a boundary contribution, leaving a spin-independent orbital phase $Δφ_{ln}\propto lΦL_{\rm int}\langleρ^{-2}\rangle_{ln}/v_z$. Opposite-winding modes $|\pm l\rangle$ form a same-path qubit implementing $R_z(2δ_l)$ with differential readout and common-mode phase rejection, while direct first-order crosstalk requires the angular harmonic $m=\pm2l$. For a $100\,μ\mathrm{m}$ section with $a=20\,\mathrm{nm}$, $R=30\,\mathrm{nm}$, $E_z=10\,\mathrm{meV}$, and $|l|=10$, the sensitivity is $0.1885\,\mathrm{mrad/mG}$ and $R_z(π)$ occurs at $16.67\,\mathrm{G}$. Finite-wall confinement thus turns intrinsic azimuthal Dirac current into a guided field-free phase operation.
Field-Free Transverse Aharonov--Bohm Phase Gate for an Orbital l-Qubit
Free-space Aharonov--Bohm (AB) Bessel modes are known to carry a flux-dependent azimuthal Schrödinger probability current and kinetic orbital angular momentum. We extend this response to the spin-resolved conserved Dirac current of a core-excluded finite-wall annular guide and show that confinement converts its surviving orbital component into a transverse Aharonov--Bohm (TAB) propagation phase for a straight traveling mode whose centroid path has zero projection onto A. The radial-gradient current reverses under spin reversal; retaining the complete evanescent tail closes it as a boundary contribution, leaving a spin-independent orbital phase Δφln∝lΦLint⟨ρ−2⟩ln/vz. Opposite-winding modes ∣±l⟩ form a same-path qubit implementing Rz(2δl) with differential readout and common-mode phase rejection, while direct first-order crosstalk requires the angular harmonic m=±2l. For a 100μm section with a=20nm, R=30nm, Ez=10meV, and ∣l∣=10, the sensitivity is 0.1885mrad/mG and Rz(π) occurs at 16.67G. Finite-wall confinement thus turns intrinsic azimuthal Dirac current into a guided field-free phase operation.
The Aharonov–Bohm (AB) effect demonstrates that a charged particle can acquire an observable phase shift in a region where the local magnetic field identically vanishes provided the configuration space is multiply connected and the electromagnetic connection exhibits non-trivial holonomy. We present a gauge-covariant physico-mathematical framework that systematically disentangles three regimes: (i) the standard ideal AB effect governed by the holonomy of a flat but globally inexact connection on ΩR=R2∖DR with DR={r≤R}; (ii) the path-integral decomposition into homotopy sectors indexed by the winding number, which is constructed on the universal cover; and (iii) non-topological corrections arising from evanescent wave-function penetration when the solenoid is modeled as a finite radial barrier. The ideal AB phase is taken as the reference topological holonomy, while the finite-barrier extension developed here separates the measured phase, under explicit weak-penetration assumptions, as Δφtotal=ΔφABhol+δφfinite+O(Teff2). Here, ΔφABhol=qΦ/ħ is the standard topological holonomy, whereas δφfinite=O(e−2κℓb) is a small dynamical, microphysics-dependent correction controlled by the barrier height, particle energy, and effective forbidden length ℓb. Within Laskin’s fractional quantum mechanics, we use the fractional extension as a diagnostic test: the topological AB phase is independent of the Lévy index α, whereas the finite-barrier correction acquires an anomalous, α-dependent penetration length. The numerical material provides gauge-covariant diagnostics: a Peierls-substituted split-operator scheme, a sector-resolved Monte Carlo path integral benchmarked against the exact Aharonov–Bohm propagator of Gerry and Singh, a WKB/transfer-matrix finite-barrier estimate tracking δφfinite→0, and Berry-phase computations used as consistency checks.
Recent experiments (Yamamoto et al 2012 Nature Nanotechnology 7 247 ) used the transport of electrons through an Aharonov–Bohm (AB) interferometer and two coupled channels (at both ends of the interferometer) to demonstrate a manipulable flying qubit. Results included in-phase and anti-phase (AB) oscillations of the two outgoing currents as a function of the magnetic flux, for strong and weak inter-channel coupling, respectively. Here we present new experimental results for a three terminal interferometer, with a tunnel coupling between the two outgoing wires. We show that in some limits, this system is an even simpler realization of the 'two-slit' experiment. We also present a simple tight-binding theoretical model which imitates the experimental setup. For weak inter-channel coupling, the AB oscillations in the current which is reflected from the device are very small, and therefore the oscillations in the two outgoing currents must cancel each other, yielding the anti-phase behavior, independent of the length of the coupling regime. Technically, the tight binding equations within the two coupled wires have four solutions for each electronic energy. In the 'anti-phase' region all of these solutions are wave-like, oscillating with the distance along the wires. As the coupling between the wires increases, two of these solutions become evanescent, and their amplitudes decay as the electron moves in the wires. In this regime, the amplitudes of the two remaining 'running' waves are proportional to each other, with a ratio which is practically flux-independent. As a result, the two outgoing currents are proportional to each other, yielding the 'in phase' behavior. For larger coupling all the solutions are evanescent, and the outgoing currents become very small.
The Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect highlights the fundamental role of electromagnetic potentials in quantum mechanics, manifesting as a phase shift for a charged particle in field-free regions. While well-established for static magnetic fluxes, the effect's behavior under time-varying fluxes remains an open and debated question. Employing the WKB method, we derive the AB phase shift for a time-dependent magnetic vector potential, demonstrating that for circular paths in the quasistatic regime, it is proportional to the time-averaged enclosed magnetic flux, ΔφAB=T1∫0TeΦ(t)dt, with the total phase shift, including kinetic contributions, equaling eΦ(0). For non-circular paths, the phase shift depends on both the flux history and path geometry, revealing the effect's hybrid nature involving gauge potentials and induced electric fields. We verify the consistency of our gauge choice with Maxwell's equations and discuss the implications for local versus nonlocal interpretations of the AB effect. We also generalize the results to scenarios with nonzero external magnetic fields, where the enclosed flux is through the actual electron paths, and for circular paths of radius R, the AB phase shift is also proportional to the time average of the enclosed flux Φenc(R,t), with the total phase shift depending only on the initial enclosed flux eΦenc(R,0); for general non-circular paths, the external magnetic field affects trajectories and phase accumulation through the Lorentz force, leading to additional path dependence. These findings clarify the role of gauge-dependent potentials and induced fields in the generalized AB effect, offering new theoretical insights and potential applications in quantum technologies.
This article describes the Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect of electron waves travelling in free space and its application to the observation of gauge fields (vector potentials). The AB effect is inconceivable in classical physics since an observable effect is produced on electrons passing through field-free spaces. Electrons can be affected only by Lorentz forces due to electromagnetic fields. The situation is different in quantum mechanics, where electrons show wave properties: the concept of force is no longer relevant, so electric field E and magnetic field B, defined as forces acting on a unit charge, take on secondary meanings. “Phase shifts” come into play, and the primary physical entities become neither E nor B but electrostatic potential V and vector potential A. These potentials interact with electron waves and shift their phases.
We show that a propagating electron wave in the lowest cylindrical channel carries a spin-resolved helical conserved current, and connect this current texture to its local chiral coupling. In a weakly relativistic positive-energy Dirac projection, the two sectors have the same azimuthally symmetric charge density and opposite circulation superposed on longitudinal flow, even though their nonrelativistic orbital harmonic is l=0. The current is radially distributed and extends into the evanescent tail. A scalar screw potential couples these modes through a derived vertex expressed by the \emph{chiral current overlap}, Jχ. Both spatial textures determine the coupling: the environmental radial profile weights the electronic circulation, while the screw harmonic selects correlated changes of spin sector and longitudinal momentum. For a uniform static harmonic, elastic energy conservation makes the first-order spin-flip amplitude vanish within the same transverse mode. Environmental energy exchange is therefore required to activate these selected channels. The same current overlap supplies the spatial kernel for heliciton-assisted inelastic scattering in a companion study and for a subsequent transport treatment of chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS).
In the Aharonov–Bohm (AB) effect, electrons form an interference pattern whose bright and dark fringes shift position when the magnetic flux confined within a nearby solenoid is changed, even though the electrons travel only through regions where the magnetic field is zero. Operationally, the experiment compares electron interference patterns obtained under different solenoid current (or enclosed flux) conditions, revealing a measurable phase difference—observed as fringe displacement—between the two electron paths despite the absence of any force acting on the electrons along those paths. Each electron arrives as a dot, but many dots build up the interference pattern. The effect tracks the enclosed flux (current level), with on/off as an illustrative extreme. What is measured is phase difference / fringe displacement, i.e., a relative effect between the two paths. This Aharonov-Bohm effect is famous in modern physics and widely regarded as proof that electromagnetic potentials possess physical reality even in regions where fields vanish. This paper reinterprets the AB effect by reframing it using the SP3 (space-phase) theory.