Topology

Abstract

The Aharonov-Bohm effect is often called “topological.” But it seems no more topological than magnetostatics, electrostatics or Newton-Poisson gravity (or just about any radiation, propagation from a source). I distinguish between two senses of “topological.” 1 The Aharonov-Bohm effect A wavefunction is split into two, and these, having enclosed a (simply-connected) region ω containing a solenoid, are made to interfere on a screen. The enclosing wavefunction is sensitive to any enclosed electromagnetism inasmuch as the electromagnetic potential1 A, a one-form, contributes a phase