  The Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect is now largely considered to be a manifestation
of geometric phase. However, by decomposing the vector-potential gradient
tensor into divergence, curl, and shear components, we isolate a
field/charged-particle interaction that is not dependent on local electric and
magnetic fields. We show that a local shear field provides a
velocity-dependent, dynamic-phase interaction in the AB effect whose
predictions are consistent with all known classes of AB experiments, including
interference fringe shifts, the absence of time delays along the direction of
propagation, and the possibility of lateral forces.
