Spectroscopic effects of velocity-dependent Casimir-Polder interactions induced by parallel plates

Durnin, J., Klatt, J., Bennett, R. and Buhmann, S. Y. (2022) Spectroscopic effects of velocity-dependent Casimir-Polder interactions induced by parallel plates. Physical Review A: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, 105(3), 032822. (doi: 10.1103/PhysRevA.105.032822)

Abstract

Casimir-Polder interactions cause energy and momentum exchange between microscopic and macroscopic bodies, a process mediated by quantum fluctuations in the coupled matter-electromagnetic field system. The dynamics of such effects are yet to be experimentally investigated due to the dominance of static effects at currently attainable atomic velocities. However, Y. Guo and Z. Jacob [Opt. Express 22, 26193 (2014)] have proposed a nonstatic two-plate setup where quantum-fluctuation-mediated effects have a strong velocity-dependent resonance, leading to a giant friction force on the plates. Here a more easily realizable setup, a moving atom between two stationary plates, is analyzed within a QED framework to establish the spectroscopic Casimir-Polder effects on the atom and their velocity dependence. While no large velocity-dependent enhancement is found, expressions for the plate-induced spectroscopic effects on the atom were found and further shown to be equivalent to the Doppler-shifted static result within certain velocity constraints. A numerical analysis investigates the behavior of this system for the well-studied case of the 6D3/2→7P1/2 transition in 133Cs interacting with sapphire plates.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was supported by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union (J.D.), the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (R.B., S.Y.B., and J.K., grant BU 180313-1476), and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (R.B.).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Bennett, Dr Robert
• Authors: Durnin, J., Klatt, J., 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): 2469-9934
• Published Online: 30 March 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 American Physical Society
• First Published: Physical Review A: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics 105(3):032822
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher