Search results for "Casimir effect"
showing 10 items of 56 documents
Casimir-Lifshitz force out of thermal equilibrium between dielectric gratings
2014
We calculate the Casimir-Lifshitz pressure in a system consisting of two different 1D dielectric lamellar gratings having two different temperatures and immersed in an environment having a third temperature. The calculation of the pressure is based on the knowledge of the scattering operators, deduced using the Fourier Modal Method. The behavior of the pressure is characterized in detail as a function of the three temperatures of the system as well as the geometrical parameters of the two gratings. We show that the interplay between non-equilibrium effects and geometrical periodicity offers a rich scenario for the manipulation of the force. In particular, we find regimes where the force can…
Application of the star-product method to the angular momentum quantization
1992
We define a *-product on ℝ3 and solve the polarization equation f*C=0 where C is the Casimir of the coadjoint representation of SO(3). We compute the action of SO(3) on the space of solutions. We then examine the case of non-zero eigenvalues of C, in order to find finite-dimensional representations of SO(3). Finally, we compute \(\sqrt C *\sqrt C \) as an asymptotic series of C. This gives an explanation of the use of the star square root of C in a paper by Bayen et al. instead of its natural square root.
Electrostatic interactions in critical solvents
2011
The subtle interplay between critical phenomena and electrostatics is investigated by considering the effective force acting on two parallel walls confining a near-critical binary liquid mixture with added salt. The ion-solvent coupling can turn a non-critical repulsive electrostatic force into an attractive one upon approaching the critical point. However, the effective force is eventually dominated by the critical Casimir effect, the universal properties of which are not altered by the presence of salt. This observation allows a consistent interpretation of recent experimental data.
A microscopic approach to Casimir forces between metal bodies
2014
We consider the Casimir interaction between macroscopic metallic objects in terms of the dispersion interactions (Casimir-Polder and van der Waals) between their constituents. Expressions for two- and three-body dispersion interactions between the microscopic parts of a metal are obtained, both in the retarded and non-retarded limits. They are then used to evaluate two- and three-body contributions of the Casimir force between two flat ideal metallic slabs. Our results show the non-applicability of the Hamaker approximation in this geometry. It is further seen that the three-body contributions give an overall repulsive contribution to the force, which is of the same order of magnitude as th…
Il vuoto: da Galileo al XXI secolo
2009
Causality, non-locality and three-body Casimir–Polder energy between three ground-state atoms
2006
The problem of relativistic causality in the time-dependent three-body Casimir–Polder interaction energy between three atoms, initially in their bare ground-state, is discussed. It is shown that the non-locality of the spatial correlations of the electromagnetic field emitted by the atoms during their dynamical self-dressing may become manifest in the dynamical three-body Casimir–Polder interaction energy between the three atoms.
Effects of a uniform acceleration on atom–field interactions
2014
We review some quantum electrodynamical effects related to the uniform acceleration of atoms in vacuum. After discussing the energy level shifts of a uniformly accelerated atom in vacuum, we investigate the atom-wall Casimir-Polder force for accelerated atoms, and the van der Waals/Casimir-Polder interaction between two accelerated atoms. The possibility of detecting the Unruh effect through these phenomena is also discussed in detail.
Optomechanical Rydberg-atom excitation via dynamic Casimir-Polder coupling
2014
We study the optomechanical coupling of a oscillating effective mirror with a Rydberg atomic gas, mediated by the dynamical atom-mirror Casimir-Polder force. This coupling may produce a near-field resonant atomic excitation whose probability scales as $\propto (d^2\;a\;n^4\;t)^2/z_0^8$, where $z_0$ is the average atom-surface distance, $d$ the atomic dipole moment, $a$ the mirror's effective oscillation amplitude, $n$ the initial principal quantum number, and $t$ the time. We propose an experimental configuration to realize this system with a cold atom gas trapped at a distance $\sim 2\cdot10 \, \mu$m from a semiconductor substrate, whose dielectric constant is periodically driven by an ext…
Dynamical Casimir-Polder forces
2011
We consider the dynamical Casimir-Polder force on an atom placed near an infinite conducting wall. The system is initially in a non equilibrium configuration such as a bare or a partially dressed state, and its time evolution is considered as well as the time dependence of the atom-wall Casimir-Polder interaction. A possible scheme to generate experimentally the initial partially dressed state and to detect the dynamical Casimir-Polder force is discussed.
Fluctuations of the Casimir-Polder force between an atom and a conducting wall
2007
We consider the quantum fluctuations of the Casimir-Polder force between a neutral atom and a perfectly conducting wall in the ground state of the system. In order to obtain the atom-wall force fluctuation we first define an operator directly associated to the force experienced by the atom considered as a polarizable body in an electromagnetic field, and we use a time-averaged force operator in order to avoid ultraviolet divergences appearing in the fluctuation of the force. This time-averaged force operator takes into account that any measurement involves a finite time. We also calculate the Casimir-Polder force fluctuation for an atom between two conducting walls. Experimental observabili…