Duality, decay rates, and local-field models in macroscopic QED

Westerberg, N. , Messinger, A. and Barnett, S. M. (2022) Duality, decay rates, and local-field models in macroscopic QED. Physical Review A: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, 105(5), 053704. (doi: 10.1103/PhysRevA.105.053704)

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Abstract

Any treatment of magnetic interactions between atoms, molecules, and optical media must start at the form of the interaction energy. This forms the base on which predictions about any number of magnetic atom-light properties stands, spontaneous decay rates and forces included. As is well known, the Heaviside-Larmor duality symmetry of Maxwell's equations, where electric and magnetic quantities are exchanged, is broken by the usual form of the magnetic interaction energy. We argue that this symmetry can be restored by including general local-field effects and that local fields should be treated as a necessity for correctly translating between the microscopic world of the dipole and the macroscopic world of the measured fields. This may additionally aid in resolving a long-standing debate over the form of the force on a dipole in a medium. Finally, we compute the magnetic dipole decay rate in a magnetodielectric with local-field effects taken into account and show that macroscopic quantum electrodynamics can be made to be dual symmetric at an operator level, instead of only for expectation values.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Messinger, Ms Anette and Barnett, Professor Stephen and Westerberg, Dr Niclas
Authors: Westerberg, N., Messinger, A., and Barnett, S. M.
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:04 May 2022
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2022 American Physical Society
First Published:First published in Physical Review A: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics 105(5): 053704
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy
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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
172865EPSRC DTP 16/17 and 17/18Mary Beth KneafseyEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)EP/N509668/1Research and Innovation Services
305200DTP 2018-19 University of GlasgowMary Beth KneafseyEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)EP/R513222/1MVLS - Graduate School
301592Foundations and Applications of Optical Forces - Enhancement awardStephen BarnettThe Royal Society (ROYSOC)RP\EA\180010P&S - Physics & Astronomy
173378Astronomy and physics, theoretical physics and application physics / Quantum Theory. Royal Society Research Professorship.Stephen BarnettThe Royal Society (ROYSOC)RP150122P&S - Physics & Astronomy
310252Reshaping the environment of photon pair productionNiclas WesterbergRoyal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 (RCEX1851)RF-2020-100417P&S - Physics & Astronomy