Optical analogue of the Aharonov-Bohm effect using anisotropic media

We show that in the context of paraxial optics, which can be analyzed through a wave equation similar to the non-relativistic Schroedinger equation of quantum mechanics but replacing time t by spatial coordinate z, the existence of a vector potential A-perpendicular mimicking the magnetic vector potential in quantum mechanics is allowed by specific gauge symmetries of the optical field in a medium with anisotropic refractive index. In this way, we use Feynman's path integral to demonstrate an optical analogue of the quantum-mechanical Aharonov-Bohm effect, encouraging the search for another optical systems with analogies with more complex quantum field theories. -- Highlights: → The optical analogue of the Aharonov-Bohm effect is demonstrated using anisotropic media. → It follows from the gauge principle applied to the optical field in the paraxial regime. → Feynman's path integral formalism is used to obtain the main result, leading directly from geometric to physical optics.