Double-valuedness of the electron wave function and rotational zero-point motion of electrons in rings

Abstract

I propose that the phase of an electron's wave function changes by $\pi$ when the electron goes around a loop maintaining phase coherence. Equivalently, that the minimum orbital angular momentum of an electron in a ring is $\hslash /2$ rather than zero as generally assumed, hence that the electron in a ring has azimuthal zero point motion. This proposal provides a physical explanation for the origin of electronic `quantum pressure', it implies that a spin current exists in the ground state of aromatic ring molecules, and it suggests an explanation for the ubiquitousness of persistent currents observed in mesoscopic rings.

References in corpus (2)

• Persistent currents in normal metal rings
• Spin Meissner Effect in Superconductors and the Origin of the Meissner Effect

Cited by in corpus (6)

• The origin of the Meissner effect in new and old superconductors
• Kinetic energy driven superconductivity, the origin of the Meissner effect, and the reductionist frontier
• Kinetic energy driven superconductivity and superfluidity
• The Bohr superconductor
• Defying inertia: how rotating superconductors generate magnetic fields
• Kinetic energy driven superfluidity and superconductivity and the origin of the Meissner effect