Casimir-Polder potential of a driven atom

Fuchs, S., Bennett, R. and Buhmann, S. Y. (2018) Casimir-Polder potential of a driven atom. Physical Review A: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, 98(2), 022514. (doi: 10.1103/PhysRevA.98.022514)

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Abstract

We investigate theoretically the Casimir-Polder potential of an atom which is driven by a laser field close to a surface. This problem is addressed in the framework of macroscopic quantum electrodynamics using the Green's tensor formalism and we distinguish between two different approaches: a perturbative ansatz and a method based on Bloch equations. We apply our results to a concrete example, namely an atom close to a perfectly conducting mirror, and create a scenario where the tunable Casimir-Polder potential becomes similar to the respective potential of an undriven atom due to fluctuating field modes. Whereas the perturbative approach is restricted to large detunings, the ansatz based on Bloch equations is exact and yields an expression for the potential which does not exceed 1 / 2 of the undriven Casimir-Polder potential.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Bennett, Dr Robert
Authors: Fuchs, S., Bennett, R., and Buhmann, S. Y.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
Journal Name:Physical Review A: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
Publisher:American Physical Society
ISSN:1050-2947
ISSN (Online):1094-1622
Published Online:20 August 2018

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