The Aharonov-Bohm effect: Why it cannot be eliminated from quantum mechanics

Abstract

The Aharonov-Bohm effect is a necessary and easily understood feature of conventional quantum mechanics. Attempts to remove it from the theory must involve a drastic change in our understanding of the quantization and conservation of angular momentum, or of the role of the classical equations of motion in quantum mechanics. The key point is that a charged particle is the source of an electric field which will penetrate a magnetic field from which the particle is excluded. The crossed fields contain angular momentum whose existence alters the motion of the particle because the total angular momentum is quantized.