Classical action, the wu-yang phase factor and prequantization

P. A. Horváthy

The scattering of nucleons on a non-Abelian flux is shown to depend, as predicted by Wu and Yang, on the nonintegrable phase factor.

W. Wilson

Garnet N. Ord

Basil J. Hiley, F. David Peat

It is now generally accepted that the Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect 1 demonstrates that in quantum mechanics the electromagnetic potentials All playa much more significant role than the one they occupy in classical physics. Wu and Yang 2 have emphasized this by pointing out that while the field strengths Fill' underdescribe electrodynamic processes (quantum mechanical), the phase factors exp (ieSAlldxll ) give a more complete description.

A. Bouda

Zhang, Peng-Ming, P. A. Horváthy

The concept of pseudoclassical isospin is illustrated by the non-Abelian Aharonov-Bohm effect proposed by Wu and Yang in 1975. The spatial motion is free however the isospin precesses when the enclosed magnetic flux and the incoming particle's isosopin are not parallel. The non-Abelian phase factor $\mathfrak{F}$ of Wu and Yang acts on the isospin as an S-matrix. The scattering becomes side-independent when the enclosed flux is quantized, $Φ_N=NΦ_0$ with $N$ an integer. The gauge group $SU(2)$ is an internal symmetry and generates conserved charges only when the flux is quantized, which then splits into two series: for $N=2k$ $SU(2)$ acts trivially but for $N=1+2k$ the implementation is twisted. The orbital and the internal angular momenta are separately conserved. The double rotational symmetry is broken to $SO(2)\times SO(2)$ when $N$ odd. For unquantized flux there are no internal symmetries, the charge is not conserved and protons can be turned into neutrons.