• DOI:10.22323/1.013.0038
• Corpus ID: 2352628

A Remark on the Aharonov-Bohm Potential and a Discussion on the Electric Charge Quantization

@article{Barone2004ARO,
  title={A Remark on the Aharonov-Bohm Potential and a Discussion on the Electric Charge Quantization},
  author={F.A. Barone and Jos'e Abdalla Helayel-Neto},
  journal={arXiv: Quantum Physics},
  year={2004}
}

• F. Barone, J. Helayel-Neto
• Published 13 September 2004
• Physics
• arXiv: Quantum Physics

The purpose of this work is to stress on a mathematical requirement of the Stokes' theorem that, naturally, yields a reassessment of the electric charge quantization condition, which is, here, explicitly carried out in the context of the Aharonov-Bohm set-up. We argue that, by virtue of an ambiguity in the definition of the circulation of the vector potential, a modified quantization condition comes out for the electric charge that opens the way for understanding fundamental fractional charges. One does not, any longer, need to rely on the existence of a magnetic monopole to justify electric charge quantization.