The Aharonov-Bohm effect in scattering of short-wavelength particles

Abstract

Quantum-mechanical scattering of nonrelativistic charged particles by a magnetic vortex of nonzero transverse size is considered. We show that the flux of the vortex serves as a gate for the strictly forward propagation of particles with short, as compared to the transverse size of the vortex, wavelengths; this effect is the same for a penetrable vortex as for an impenetrable one. A possibility for the experimental detection of the scattering Aharonov-Bohm effect is discussed.