Casimir-Polder interaction of atoms with magnetodielectric bodies

dc.creatorBuhmann, Stefan Yoshi
dc.creatorDung, Ho Trung
dc.creatorKampf, Thomas
dc.creatorWelsch, Dirk-Gunnar
dc.date2005-01-28
dc.date2005-04-18
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T06:31:22Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T06:31:22Z
dc.descriptionA general theory of the Casimir-Polder interaction of single atoms with dispersing and absorbing magnetodielectric bodies is presented, which is based on QED in linear, causal media. Both ground-state and excited atoms are considered. Whereas the Casimir-Polder force acting on a ground-state atom can conveniently be derived from a perturbative calculation of the atom-field coupling energy, an atom in an excited state is subject to transient force components that can only be fully understood by a dynamical treatment based on the body-assisted vacuum Lorentz force. The results show that the Casimir-Polder force can be influenced by the body-induced broadening and shifting of atomic transitions - an effect that is not accounted for within lowest-order perturbation theory. The theory is used to study the Casimir-Polder force of a ground-state atom placed within a magnetodielectric multilayer system, with special emphasis on thick and thin plates as well as a planar cavity consisting of two thick plates. It is shown how the competing attractive and repulsive force components related to the electric and magnetic properties of the medium, respectively, can - for sufficiently strong magnetic properties - lead to the formation of potential walls and wells.
dc.description16 pages, 6 figures, minor additions and corrections
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0501168
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0501168
dc.identifierEuropean Physical Journal D 35 (1), 15 (2005)
dc.identifierdoi:10.1140/epjd/e2005-00044-6
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/98581
dc.subjectQuantum Physics
dc.titleCasimir-Polder interaction of atoms with magnetodielectric bodies
dc.typetext

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