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Dynamical Features Of Interference Phenomena In The Presence Of Entanglement, Tirzah Kaufherr, Yakir Aharonov, Shmuel Nussinov, Sandu Popescu, Jeff Tollaksen

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

A strongly interacting, and entangling, heavy nonrecoiling external particle effects a significant change of the environment. Described locally, the corresponding entanglement event is a generalized electric Aharonov-Bohm effect, which differs from the original one in a crucial way. We propose a gedanken interference experiment. The predicted shift of the interference pattern is due to a self-induced or "private" potential difference experienced while the particle is in vacuum. We show that all nontrivial Born-Oppenheimer potentials are "private" potentials. We apply the Born-Oppenheimer approximation to interference states. Using our approach, we calculate the relative phase of the external heavy particle as well …