Theoretical Discovery, Experiment, and Controversy in the Aharonov-Bohm Effect: An Oral History Interview

2025/08/11 by Yakir Aharonov, Aharonov, Yakir, Guy Hetzroni +1 · 1 voice
Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #History and Philosophy of Physics (physics.hist-ph) #physics.hist-ph

paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2508.08105

Abstract

This oral history interview provides Yakir Aharonov's perspective on the theoretical discovery of the Aharonov-Bohm effect in 1959, during his PhD studies in Bristol with David Bohm, the reception of the effect, the efforts to test it empirically (up to Tonomura's experiment), and some of the debates regarding the existence of the effect and its interpretation. The interview also discusses related later developments until the 1980s, including modular momentum and Berry's phase. It includes recollections from meetings with Werner Heisenberg, Richard Feynman, and Chen-Ning Yang, also mentioning John Bell, Robert Chambers, Werner Ehrenberg, Sir Charles Frank, Wendell Furry, Gunnar Källén, Maurice Pryce, Nathan Rosen, John Wheeler, and Eugene Wigner.

Citations

• Instability and quantization in quantum hydrodynamics
• Gauge Symmetries, Symmetry Breaking, and Gauge-Invariant Approaches
• The Early History of the Aharonov-Bohm Effect
• The Effect of a Magnetic Flux Line in Quantum Theory
• Quantal phase factors accompanying adiabatic changes
• Significance of Electromagnetic Potentials in the Quantum Theory
• Conservation of Isotopic Spin and Isotopic Gauge Invariance
• Can Quantum-Mechanical Description of Physical Reality Be Considered Complete?

Discussions

• Yakir Aharonov, Guy Hetzroni: Theoretical Discovery, Experiment, and Controversy in the Aharonov-Bohm Effect: An Oral History Interview https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.08105 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2508.0810 [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]

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