Title
Forces in Aharonov-Bohm optical setting
Abbreviated Journal Title
Optica
Keywords
ANALOG; MEDIA; LIGHT; Optics
Abstract
The Aharonov-Bohm effect is usually associated with a path-dependent phase accumulated by a charged matter wave and determined by an effective vector potential. In a more general geometrical framework, such phase alterations have been the hallmark of a host of related phenomena in many different fields. However, besides phase changes, it was suggested that for finite wave-packets there is also an additional deflection leading to observable changes in the wave's canonical momentum. In this paper, we create an optical scattering situation that permits observing nonconservative reaction forces, which result from the conservation of canonical momentum. We demonstrate experimentally, for the first time, the presence of such mechanical forces with the magnitude and direction determined by the phase dislocation of the vortex state. Our experimental results offer insights into essentially untested phenomena, where forces act on vortex fields, and allow examining the role of conservation laws and symmetries in complex interacting systems. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America
Journal Title
Optica
Volume
1
Issue/Number
6
Publication Date
1-1-2014
Document Type
Article
Language
English
First Page
383
Last Page
387
WOS Identifier
ISSN
2334-2536
Recommended Citation
"Forces in Aharonov-Bohm optical setting" (2014). Faculty Bibliography 2010s. 6144.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/facultybib2010/6144
Comments
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