ATOMIC STERN-GERLACH INTERFERENCES WITH TIME-DEPENDENT MAGNETIC-FIELDS

In atomic Stern-Gerlach (polarization) interferometry with time-depend ent magnetic fields both the spatial and temporal parts of the atomic phase are generally affected. This leads to a total energy shift and t o an inelastic momentum transfer. Some of the related effects are stud ied using a beam of metastable hydrogen atoms. In particular the scala r Aharonov-Bohm effect and its nondispersivity are considered, in addi tion to other phase shift effects occurring where the field gradient d iffers from zero.