Electrical Analog of Aharonov-Bohm Effect

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the Aharonov-Bohm Effect and its electrical analog, specifically exploring the existence and success of experiments that align with the original proposals made in the 1959 paper. The scope includes theoretical implications, experimental realizations, and the challenges of replicating the proposed experiments.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Experimental/applied

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants inquire whether the first experiment proposed in the original paper has been successfully performed, emphasizing the need for exact replication.
  • Others express concern that the emphasis on "exactly" may lead to dismissing experiments due to minor deviations from the idealized conditions.
  • There are questions about the existence of experiments that closely resemble the original proposals, with some participants suggesting that this leads to a subjective interpretation of what counts as "close enough."
  • One participant notes that the electric potential result is less surprising to many and asks if any relevant articles have been found.
  • Links to articles are provided, suggesting that the electrical analog of the Aharonov-Bohm Effect has not yet been realized in the lab.
  • Another participant mentions finding an article related to solid-state technology and graphene rings, but expresses doubt about its relevance to conclusively confirming the electrical analog of the Aharonov-Bohm Effect.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on whether any experiments have successfully replicated the original proposals. There are multiple competing views regarding the significance and relevance of existing experiments.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in the definition of what constitutes a successful experiment, as well as the challenges in aligning experimental setups with theoretical expectations. There are unresolved questions about the applicability of certain experiments to the original proposals.

LarryS
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TL;DR
Was original experiment, EXACTLY as specified in the 1959 paper, ever performed successfully?
The original paper for what is now called the Aharonov-Bohm Effect was published in 1959. In this paper they proposed two experiments: One for detecting phase shifts for two electron beams, each passing through regions (inside metal tubes) with constant but differing Electric Potentials. The second for detecting a phase shift for electrons passing through a region of constant Magnetic Vector Potential outside of a solenoid.

Was the first experiment, exactly as specified in the original paper, ever performed successfully?

Thank you in advance.
 
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The emphasis of “exactly” is a little problematic. It just predisposes you to reject experiments because of some ridiculously insignificant deviation from an idealized theoretical experiment.
 
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Ok. Makes sense. So, were there any experiments for the electrical analog of the AB Effect that were fairly close to the one in the original paper that were successful?
 
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Larry, this turns this into a guesing game. "What about this one?" "Nope, doesn't count as close enough." "What about this one. then?" "Nope, doesn't count as close enough either."
 
Has the OP found any articles that purport such tests? The electric potential result is somewhat less surprising to most folks I think.
 
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hutchphd said:
Has the OP found any articles that purport such tests? The electric potential result is somewhat less surprising to most folks I think.
I found one article regarding an experiment that used solid-state technology to confirm the electrical analog of the AB Effect. I will try find it. I found no experiments that even remotely resembled the experiment suggested in the original paper.
 
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Very interesting. Nice question, wish I knew more.
 
LarryS said:
I found one article regarding an experiment that used solid-state technology to confirm the electrical analog of the AB Effect. I will try find it. I found no experiments that even remotely resembled the experiment suggested in the original paper.
Correction: The article I found was for an experiment using graphene rings. My impression of the experiment was that is was more about electron flow in graphene than about the electrical analog of the AB effect. It did not conclusively confirm the electrical AB Effect.
 
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