The Aharonov Bohm effect as a material phenomenon

Abstract: An experiment to observe the Aharonov-Bohm effect is discussed. A solenoid which consists of a large number of point magnetic dipoles is considered as the source of a vector potential, which acts on a charged particle, and such potential has an electromagnetic field of zero strength in the region of a nonzero vector potential. A detailed microscopic analysis of the change in the quantum state phase of the entire system, namely, a particle and a set of dipoles, reveals the origin of the apparent nonlocality of the action of the vector potential, and shows the locality of the phase change mechanism. An analysis of an experiment with a solenoid shielded by a superconducting shell is given.