Gauge dependence of the Aharonov-Bohm phase in quantum electrodynamics framework

A. Hayashi

Published 2023-05-23Version 1

The Aharonov-Bohm (AB) phase is usually associated with a line integral of the electromagnetic vector potential generated by an external current source, such as a solenoid. According to this interpretation, the AB phase of a nonclosed path cannot be observed, as the integral depends on the gauge choice of the vector potential. Recent attempts to explain the AB effect through the interaction between a charged particle and an external current, mediated by the exchange of quantum photons, have assumed that the AB phase shift is proportional to the change in interaction energy between the charged particle and the external current source. As a result, these attempts argue that the AB phase change along a path does not depend on the gauge choice, and that the AB phase shift for a nonclosed path is in principle measurable. In this paper, we critically examine this claim and demonstrate that the phase obtained through this approach is actually gauge-dependent and not an observable for a nonclosed path. We also provide a brief critical discussion of the proposed experiment for observing the AB phase shift of a nonclosed path.