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Physical Review A

Aharonov-Bohm effect for trapped ions

Robert R. Lewis

Published Sep 1, 1983• 34 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The role of the Aharonov-Bohm effect is analyzed for the bound states of a charged particle in the superposition of two fields: A uniform magnetic field plus the vector potential of a solenoid. Exact solutions are given for a solenoid of zero size and the corrections due to finite size are discussed. It is shown that a series of new "betatron resonances" appear in the spectrum, dependent on the flux quantum number $f=\frac{e\ensuremath{\Phi}}{\mathrm{hc}}$. The fundamental betatron resonance remains narrow and unshifted for solenoid radii large enough to broaden and shift the cyclotron resonance.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.28.1228

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arXiv:quant-ph/9901066•Physical Review A•Sep 1, 1999•16 citations
The role of the Aharonov-Bohm effect is analyzed for the bound states of a charged particle in the superposition of two fields: A uniform magnetic field plus the vector potential of a solenoid. Exact solutions are given for a solenoid of zero size and the corrections due to finite size are discussed. It is shown that a series of new "betatron resonances" appear in the spectrum, dependent on the flux quantum number f=e\ensuremathΦhcf=\frac{e\ensuremath{\Phi}}{\mathrm{hc}}f=hce\ensuremathΦ​. The fundamental betatron resonance remains narrow and unshifted for solenoid radii large enough to broaden and shift the cyclotron resonance.
In quantum mechanics, the magnetic field has a physical effect beyond its local presence. For axially symmetric vector potentials, A=A(s,z)ϕ̂, it is the magnetic flux that plays a central role in both interference experiments (as in the Aharonov-Bohm effect) and in bound state spectra for a particle constrained to move in a circle. The flux dependence is evident in various configurations, and we have chosen two applications to highlight the non-local nature of the quantum mechanical magnetic field dependence: A finite solenoid and a Dirac string with a non-zero radius. The finite solenoid is interesting because it represents the actual experimental apparatus for measuring the Aharonov-Bohm effect. The Dirac string provides an electric charge quantization mechanism that depends on where the quantization argument is applied, yielding different fundamental charge units for different locations.
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.
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 study the Aharonov-Bohm effect (the AB effect) in quantum resonances for scattering by three solenoids in two dimensions under the situation that the centers of the solenoids are placed almost in line.The resonances are shown to be generated near the real axis by the trapping trajectories when the centers are largely separated from one another.We analyze how the AB effect is reflected in the location of these resonances.The results are described by use of the backward scattering amplitude by one solenoid and depend on the ratio of the distances between the solenoids as well as on the magnetic fluxes.The method makes a full use of the information from the scattering system by one solenoid, which is known to be exactly solvable in quantum mechanics.We also discuss the case of four solenoids.
In classical electrodynamics the vacuum is defined as a region where there are no electric or magnetic fields. In such a region, a charged particle (such as an electron) will feel no effect — the Lorentz force is zero. The space ex-ternal to a perfect (i.e., infinite) solenoid can be considered an electromagnetic vacuum, since ~E and ~B vanish there. While a non-zero vector potential ~A does exist outside the solenoid, it can exert no influence on the particle, and as such cannot be directly detected or quantified classically. However, in 1959 Aharonov and Bohm predicted that a vector field would exert a purely quantum-mechanical effect on the phase of the particle’s wave function, which in principle should be detectable. The predicted phase shift was not observed experimentally until 1986, when Tonomura brilliantly verified the effect using a microscopic solenoid. This paper provides a simplified explanation of the Aharonov-Bohm prediction using a path-integral approach that is suitable for the advanced undergraduate. 1.
The Aharonov-Bohm (AB) scattering of charged particles by the magnetic field of an infinitely long and infinitely thin solenoid (magnetic string) in an absorbing medium is studied. We discuss the partial-wave approach to this problem and show that the standard partial-wave method can be adjusted to this case. The effect of absorption leads to oscillations of the AB cross section. Based on this we investigate the scattering of neutral atoms with induced electric dipole moments by a charge wire of finite radius, which is placed in a uniform magnetic field. The physical realistic and practically important case that all atoms that collide with the wire are totally absorbed at its surface is studied in detail. The dominating terms of the scattering amplitude are evaluated analytically for different physical constellations. The remaining terms are written in a form suitable for a numerical computation. We show that if the magnetic field is absent, the absorbing charged wire causes oscillations of the cross section. In the presence of the magnetic field the cross section increases and the dominating Aharonov-Bohm peak appears in the forward direction, suppressing the oscillations.