6533b7d8fe1ef96bd126a489

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Casimir-Polder interaction between an accelerated two-level system and an infinite plate

Lucia Rizzuto

subject

PhysicsField (physics)Casimir-Polder interactionInteraction energyAtomic and Molecular Physics and OpticsCasimir effectsymbols.namesakeClassical mechanicsUnruh effectQuantum Electrodynamics in accelerated framesQuantum electrodynamicsDirichlet boundary conditionPhysics::Atomic and Molecular ClusterssymbolsUnruh effectPhysics::Atomic PhysicsBoundary value problemScalar fieldQuantum fluctuation

description

We investigate the Casimir-Polder interaction energy between a uniformly accelerated two-level system and an infinite plate with Dirichlet boundary conditions. Our model is a two-level atom interacting with a massless scalar field, with a uniform acceleration in a direction parallel to the plate. We consider the contributions of vacuum fluctuations and of the radiation reaction field to the atom-wall Casimir-Polder interaction, and we discuss their dependence on the acceleration of the atom. We show that, as a consequence of the noninertial motion of the two-level atom, a thermal term is present in the vacuum fluctuation contribution to the Casimir-Polder interaction. Finally we discuss the relevance of this result for the Unruh effect.

10.1103/physreva.76.062114http://hdl.handle.net/10447/22628