The Paradoxical Forces for the Classical Electromagnetic Lag Associated with the Aharonov-Bohm Phase Shift

Abstract

The classical electromagnetic lag assocated with the Aharonov-Bohm phase shift is obtained by using a Darwin-Lagrangian analysis similar to that given by Coleman and Van Vleck to identify the puzzling forces of the Shockley-James paradox. The classical forces cause changes in particle velocities and so produce a relative lag leading to the same phase shift as predicted by Aharonov and Bohm and observed in experiments. An experiment is proposed to test for this lag aspect implied by the classical analysis but not present in the currently-accepted quantum topological description of the phase shift.