Title

Forces In Aharonov–Bohm Optical Setting

Keywords

Electromagnetic optics; General physics; Physical 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.

Publication Date

1-1-2014

Publication Title

Optica

Volume

1

Issue

6

Number of Pages

383-387

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1364/OPTICA.1.000383

Socpus ID

84983154302 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84983154302

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