Aharonov-Bohm Effect Explained: Potentials, Interference, and the Quantum Reality Debate

Veritasium tells the story of the Aharonov-Bohm effect, a quantum phenomenon where electrons are affected by a magnetic vector potential even in regions with zero magnetic field. The video weaves through Lagrange's potential landscape, the 1959 Bohm-Aharonov proposal, and the decades of experiments from Chambers to Tonomura that settled questions about whether potentials are mere mathematical tools or physically real. It also covers a gravitational analogue tested in 2022 and ends with a discussion of interpretations about locality, non-local effects, and whether the wave function is the bridge between potential and reality.