Wallace, David (2014) Deflating the Aharonov-Bohm Effect. [Preprint]

Preview

PDF deflatingAB.pdf Download (397kB)

Abstract

I argue that the metaphysical import of the Aharonov-Bohm effect has been overstated: correctly understood, it does not require either rejection of gauge invariance or any novel form of nonlocality. The conclusion that it does require one or the other follows from a failure to keep track, in the analysis, of the complex scalar field to which the magnetic vector potential is coupled. Once this is recognised, the way is clear to a local account of the ontology of electrodynamics (or at least, to an account no more nonlocal than quantum theory in general requires); I sketch a possible such account.

---

Export/Citation:

EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL

Social Networking:

Share |

---

Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Wallace, David david.wallace@balliol.ox.ac.uk
Keywords:	Gauge theory; Aharonov-Bohm Effect; nonlocality; electromagnetism
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Depositing User:	Professor David Wallace
Date Deposited:	19 Jul 2014 15:39
Last Modified:	19 Jul 2014 15:39
Item ID:	10884
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Date:	July 2014
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/10884

Monthly Views for the past 3 years

Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years

Plum Analytics

Actions (login required)

View Item