Gauge waves generation and detection in Aharonov–Bohm electrodynamics

Abstract

Abstract The extended Aharonov–Bohm electrodynamics has a simple formal structure and allows to couple the e.m. field also to currents which are not locally conserved, like those resulting from certain non-local effective quantum models of condensed matter. As it often happens in physics and mathematics when one tries to extend the validity of some equations or operations, new perspectives emerge in comparison to Maxwell theory, and some “exotic” phenomena are predicted. For the Aharonov–Bohm theory the main new feature is that the potentials $$A^\mu $$ A μ become univocally defined and can be measured with probes in which the “extra-current” $$I=\partial _\mu j^\mu $$ I = ∂ μ j μ is not zero at some points. As a consequence, it is possible in principle to detect pure gauge-waves with $${\textbf{E}}={\textbf{B}}=0$$ E = B = 0 , which would be regarded as non-physical in the Maxwell gauge-invariant theory with local current conservation. We discuss in detail the theoretical aspects of this phenomenon and propose an experimental realization of the detectors. A full treatment of wave propagation in anomalous media with extra-currents and of energy–momentum balance issues is also given.