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Physics of the Solid State

Information (no-energy) waves described by global potentials

A. G. Chirkov, A. N. Ageev

Published Jul 1, 2007• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The case where the magnetic flux inside an electronic loop varies with time is considered for an experiment in which the Aharonov-Bohm effect is observed. The electromagnetic field and potentials of a solenoid with an alternating current are studied. It is shown that the vector potential outside the solenoid contains a term corresponding to a zero electromagnetic field at the same point of space. This part of the potential (global potential) describes standing waves whose properties differ from those of ordinary electromagnetic waves and which can be conventionally called information potential waves. A method of detecting information waves is proposed involving an effect similar to the Aharonov-Bohm effect (quasi-Aharonov-Bohm effect). Unlike ordinary electromagnetic waves, these information waves are not involved in any energy interactions but they can carry information.

DOI
10.1134/s106378340707013x

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The case where the magnetic flux inside an electronic loop varies with time is considered for an experiment in which the Aharonov-Bohm effect is observed. The electromagnetic field and potentials of a solenoid with an alternating current are studied. It is shown that the vector potential outside the solenoid contains a term corresponding to a zero electromagnetic field at the same point of space. This part of the potential (global potential) describes standing waves whose properties differ from those of ordinary electromagnetic waves and which can be conventionally called information potential waves. A method of detecting information waves is proposed involving an effect similar to the Aharonov-Bohm effect (quasi-Aharonov-Bohm effect). Unlike ordinary electromagnetic waves, these information waves are not involved in any energy interactions but they can carry information.
"It is a known fact that there is no magnetic field outside an infinite solenoid carrying a constant current, althoughthere is magnetic vector potential non-null outside it. The existence of the Aharonov-Bohm effect (AB) is usuallyconsidered as proof of the relevance of the vector potential for quantum mechanics. In this paper we will see that thereis a non null electric field outside an infinite resistive solenoid carrying a constant current and its possible relevanceto the analysis of the Aharonov-Bohm effect. When calculating, we introduce the Galilean invariance of Maxwell´sequations and then we obtain the contribution to the AB effect due to electric potential."
An experiment to observe the Aharonov-Bohm effect is discussed. A solenoid which consists of a large number of point magnetic dipoles is considered as the source of a vector potential, which acts on a charged particle, and such potential has an electromagnetic field of zero strength in the region of a nonzero vector potential. A detailed microscopic analysis of the change in the quantum state phase of the entire system, namely, a particle and a set of dipoles, reveals the origin of the apparent nonlocality of the action of the vector potential, and shows the locality of the phase change mechanism. An analysis of an experiment with a solenoid shielded by a superconducting shell is given.
In the Aharonov–Bohm setup, a double-slit experiment, when a long but thin solenoid of current is introduced between the two coherent beams of electrons behind the slits, an extra phase difference between the interfering beams appears, as shown by a shift in the interference pattern. This mysterious effect purportedly arises owing to an electromagnetic momentum, attributed to the presence of a vector potential at the location of either beam, due to the solenoid of current even when the magnetic field is zero outside the solenoid. It has remained a puzzle, how mere potential, thought to be just a mathematical tool for calculating electromagnetic field, can give rise to electromagnetic momentum in a system. Experimentally, the effect has been amply verified, with hardly any doubts that the observed effect is real. A satisfactory physical explanation of the existence of momentum, at least under the aegis of classical electromagnetism, is still missing since inception of the idea more than half a century back. We show here the presence of electromagnetic momentum in the product of the drift velocities of the current-carrying charges within the solenoid and the mass equivalent of their potential energies in the electric field of the external charges.
The AB (Aharonov-Bohm) effect is a pivotal quantum mechanical phenomenon that illustrates the fundamental role of the electromagnetic vector potential A in determining the phase of a charged particle's wave function, even in regions where the magnetic field B is zero.This effect demonstrates that quantum particles are influenced not only by the fields directly present but also by the potentials associated with those fields.In the AB effect, an electron beam is split into two paths, with one path encircling a solenoid and the other bypassing it.Despite the absence of a magnetic field in the regions traversed by the beams, the vector potential A associated with the magnetic flux  through the solenoid induces a phase shift in the electron's wave function.This phase shift, quantified by qc     , manifests as a change in the interference pattern observed in the detection screen.The phenomenon underscores the principle of gauge invariance in QED (quantum electrodynamics), where physical observables remain invariant under local gauge transformations of the vector and scalar potentials.This reinforces the notion that the vector potential A has a profound impact on quantum systems, beyond its classical role.This article outlines the AB effect, including its theoretical framework, experimental observations, and implications.The focus on the role of the vector potential in quantum mechanics provides a comprehensive understanding of this important phenomenon.
We propose an electrodynamic Aharonov-Bohm (AB) scheme where a nonzero AB phase difference appears even if the interferometer paths do not enclose a magnetic flux and are subjected to negligible scalar potential differences during the propagation of the quantum charged particle. In the proposal, the current in a solenoid outside the interferometer varies in time while the quantum particle is in a superposition state inside two Faraday cages, such that it is always subjected to negligible electromagnetic fields. At first glance, this result could challenge the topological nature of the AB effect. However, by considering the topology of the electromagnetic field configuration and the possible particle trajectories in spacetime, we demonstrate the topological nature of this situation.