Gauge invariance of the local phase in the Aharonov-Bohm interference: Quantum electrodynamic approach

Abstract

In the Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect, interference fringes are observed for a charged particle in the absence of the local overlap with the external electromagnetic field. This notion of the apparent “nonlocality” of the interaction or the significant role of the potential have recently been challenged and are under debate. The quantum electrodynamic approach provides a microscopic picture of the characteristics of the interaction between a charge and an external field. We explicitly show the gauge invariance of the local phase shift in the magnetic AB effect, which is in contrast to the results obtained using the usual semiclassical vector potential. Our study can resolve the issue of the locality in the magnetic AB effect. However, the problem is not solved in the same way in the electric counterpart wherein virtual scalar photons play an essential role.