30 years ago the Aharonov-Bohm effect was predicted for the first time since then this
quantum phenomenon which so grossly irritates a physical intuition trained in Maxwellian
electrodynamics has been discussed and studied both experimentally and theoretically. A
thorough understanding of the Aharonov-Bohm effect has substantial bearing on the foundations
and interpretation of quantum mechanics on the understanding of gauge theories and on the role
of topological methods in mathematical physics. In the meantime decisive precision
measurements have experimentally confirmed the predictions of Aharonov and Bohm. In Part One of
this book M. Peshkin outlines the theoretical ideas that are actually tested in the experiments
described by A. Tonomura in Part Two. Both authors give a complete and pedagogically well
written description of the Aharonov-Bohm effect and its measurement. The book is accessible to
everybody interested in quantum mechanics and its foundations in particular to students. The
presentation also reviews the historical developments in some detail.
