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Physical Review Letters

Roles of Local Classical Acceleration and Spatial Separation in the Neutral Particle Analogs of the Aharonov-Bohm Phases

Russell C. Casella

Published Nov 28, 1994• 12 citations
Publisher

Abstract

I show that neither local nonuniform classical acceleration nor spatial separation of the quantized spin components plays an essential role in a number of neutron interferometer experiments designed to detect phases ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}(B,E)$ akin to the Aharonov-Bohm phases. These neutral particle phases, which simply manifest quantum interference in spin space, can also be detected by single beams, as exemplified by a recent breakthrough experiment by Sangster et al.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.73.2941

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I show that neither local nonuniform classical acceleration nor spatial separation of the quantized spin components plays an essential role in a number of neutron interferometer experiments designed to detect phases \ensuremathφ\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi(B,E){\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}}(B,E)\ensuremathφ\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi​(B,E) akin to the Aharonov-Bohm phases. These neutral particle phases, which simply manifest quantum interference in spin space, can also be detected by single beams, as exemplified by a recent breakthrough experiment by Sangster et al.
The dynamics of neutral spinning particles in electromagnetic fields is investigated. The phase interference of unpolarized neutron beams is reasonably interpreted as the observed spin precession in external fields instead of potential effects in the quantum physics; namely, the Aharonov-Bohm and Aharonov-Casher effects. It is also pointed out that the recent experiment claimed to be the verification of Aharonov-Casher phase with neutron interferometry, however, can be considered as a test of new anyon model.
The special and unique techniques of neutron interferometry have been used to observe a number of topological effects. These include the quantum mechanical phase shift of a neutron due to the Earth's rotation (the quantum analog of the Michelson–Gale–Pearson experiment with light), the phase shift of a particle carrying a magnetic moment (a neutron) encircling a line charge (the Aharonov–Casher effect) and the scalar Aharonov–Bohm effect, observed with a pulsed magnetic field solenoid and time-of-flight neutron detection. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Aharonov–Bohm paper, we provide an overview of the neutron interferometry technique and a description of these three historic experiments.
Introduction Aharonov and Bohm (1959) drew attention to the quantum mechanical prediction that an interference pattern due to a beam of charged particles could be produced or altered by the presence of a constant magnetic field in a region from which the particles were excluded. This effect was first experimentally detected by Chambers (1960), and since then has been repeatedly and more convincingly demonstrated in a series of experiments including the elegant experiments of Tonomura et al. (1986). At first sight, the Aharonov-Bohm effect seems to manifest nonlocality. It seems clear that the (electro)magnetic field acts on the particles since it affects the interference pattern they produce; and this must be action at a distance since the particles pass through a region from which that field is absent. Now it is commonly believed that this appearance of nonlocality can be removed by taking it to be the electromagnetic potential A μ rather than the field F μν that acts locally on the particles: indeed, Bohm and Aharonov themselves took the effect to demonstrate the independent reality of the (electro)magnetic potential. But the nonlocality is real, not apparent, and cannot be removed simply by invoking the electromagnetic potential. While there may indeed be more to electromagnetism than can be represented just by the values of F μν at all space-time points, acknowledging this fact still does not permit a completely local account of the Aharonov-Bohm effect.
The usual vector Aharonov–Bohm effect involves the quantum interference of electrons encircling a solenoid due to the magnetic vector potential. The analogous Aharonov–Casher effect was predicted for the neutron, which carries a magnetic dipole moment, encircling a line of electric charge . It was first observed by neutron interferometry, as described in this chapter. An analogous effect using neutrons and a pulsed magnetic solenoid in one leg of the interferometer has also been observed. This experiment using both polarized and unpolarized neutrons is described in this chapter. It is the first observation of the scalar Aharonov-Bohm effect. The idea of geometric phases was later shown to be pervasive in physics. These ideas were brought to full fruition in a neutron interferometry experiment in the late 1990s. The connections of this experiment with the helical field experiment of Bitter and Dubbers and the absorption experiment of Hasegawa are also discussed. The confinement-induced phase when neutrons move between narrow plates is another example of a non-local interaction of neutrons.