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The Role of Inert Objects in Quantum Mechanical Phase

E. Comay

Published Jun 17, 1999• 1 citation
OpenAlex

Abstract

Quantum mechanical foundations of the polarized neutron phase shift experiment are discussed. The fact that the neutron retains its ground state throughout the experiment is shown to be crucial for the phase shift obtained.

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It is proven that the phase shift of a polarized neutron interacting with a spatially uniform time-dependent magnetic field demonstrates the same physical principles as the magnetic Aharonov-Bohm effect. The crucial role of inert objects is explained, thereby proving the quantum-mechanical nature of the effect. It is also proven that the nonsimply connectedness of the force-free region is not a profound property of the system, and that it cannot be regarded as a sufficient condition for a nonzero phase shift.
The phase shift in interferometry due to the space-time curvature is computed in nonrelativistic and relativistic physics. This treatment is applied to an interferometer analogous to the perfect crystal interferometer used in the Colella-Overhauser-Werner experiment with thermal neutrons, an interferometer consisting of only horizontal mirrors, suitable for ultracold neutrons, and optical interferometry. Experiments are proposed to detect the effect of the tidal forces of the Earth, Moon, and the Sun, for the first time in interferometry. The phase shift in neutron interferometry due to terrestrial objects is considered and an experiment is proposed with superfluid helium as the source of gravity. This would provide, for the first time, direct evidence concerning the gravitational interaction between two quantum-mechanical states. The possibility of detecting purely general-relativistic effects due to curvature, by means of neutron interferometry, is also explored.