AN EXPERIMENT TO TEST THE GRAVITATIONAL AHARONOV-BOHM EFFECT

The gravitational Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect is examined in the weak-fi eld a general relativity. In analogy with the electromagnetic AB effec t, we find that a gravitoelectromagnetic 4-vector potential gives rise to interference effects. A matter wave interferometry experiment, bas ed on a modification of the gravity-induced quantum interference exper iment of Colella, Overhauser and Werner (COW), is proposed to explicit ly test the gravitoelectric version of the AB effect in a uniform grav itational field.