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Phys. Rev. E 70, 028501 (2004) [6 pages]

Comment on “Observation of matter wave beat phenomena in the macrodomain for electrons moving along a magnetic field”

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C. S. Unnikrishnan*
Gravitation Group, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Mumbai, 400 005, India
and NAPP Group, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Koramangala, Bangalore, 560 034, India

Received 9 April 2003; published 30 August 2004

I show that the claim of the observation of matter wave beat phenomena in the classical macrodomain by Varma et al. [Phys. Rev. E 65, 026503 (2002)] is based on a mistaken interpretation of effects arising from multiple focusing of an electron beam in an axial magnetic field. I present the basic physical facts that mimic wavelike phenomena and suggest a classical explanation of modulations reported by Varma et al. Realization that the macroscopic “de Broglie wavelength” used by Varma et al. is the same as the focusing distance of a monoenergetic electron beam in the uniform magnetic field leads to a full classical explanation of all the effects reported by Varma et al. The reported observations are not evidence for any quantumlike phenomenon in the macrodomain, and their results do not indicate any violation of the Lorentz equation of motion.

© 2004 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevE.70.028501
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevE.70.028501
PACS:
41.75.−i, 41.85.−p, 41.90.+e, 03.65.Ta

*Electronic address: unni@tifr.res.in

See Also

Original Article: Ram K. Varma, A. M. Punithavelu, and S. B. Banerjee, Observation of matter wave beat phenomena in the macrodomain for electrons moving along a magnetic field, Phys. Rev. E 65, 026503 (2002).