dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaVacuum fluctuations and moving atoms/detectors: From Casimir-Polder to Unruh effect
| Authors | B. L. Hu, A. Roura, S. Shresta |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | quant-ph/0401188 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0401188 |
| DOI | 10.1088/1464-4266/6/8/011 |
| Journal | J.Opt.B quant.Semiclass.Opt.6:S698-S705,2004 |
Abstract
In this note we report on some new results \cite{SHP} on corrections to the Casimir-Polder \cite{caspol} retardation force due to atomic motion and present a preliminary (unpublished) critique on one recently proposed cavity QED detection scheme of Unruh effect \cite{Unr76}. These two well-known effects arise from the interaction between a moving atom or detector with a quantum field under some boundary conditions introduced by a conducting mirror/cavity or dielectric wall. The Casimir-Polder force is a retardation force on the atom due to the dressing of the atomic ground state by the vacuum electromagnetic field in the presence of a conducting mirror or dielectric wall. We have recently provided an improved calculation by treating the mutual influence of the atom and the (constrained) field in a self-consistent way. For an atom moving adiabatically, perpendicular to a mirror, our result finds a coherent retardation correction up to twice the stationary value. Unruh effect refers loosely to the fact that a uniformly accelerated detector feels hot. Two prior schemes have been proposed for the detection of `Unruh radiation', based on charged particles in linear accelerators and storage rings. Here we are interested in a third scheme proposed recently by Scully {\it et al} \cite{Scully03} involving the injection of accelerated atoms into a microwave or optical cavity. We analyze two main factors instrumental to the purported success in this scheme, the cavity factor and the sudden switch-on factor. We conclude that the effects engendered from these factors are unrelated to the Unruh effect.
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"abstract": "In this note we report on some new results \\cite{SHP} on corrections to the\nCasimir-Polder \\cite{caspol} retardation force due to atomic motion and present\na preliminary (unpublished) critique on one recently proposed cavity QED\ndetection scheme of Unruh effect \\cite{Unr76}. These two well-known effects\narise from the interaction between a moving atom or detector with a quantum\nfield under some boundary conditions introduced by a conducting mirror/cavity\nor dielectric wall. The Casimir-Polder force is a retardation force on the atom\ndue to the dressing of the atomic ground state by the vacuum electromagnetic\nfield in the presence of a conducting mirror or dielectric wall. We have\nrecently provided an improved calculation by treating the mutual influence of\nthe atom and the (constrained) field in a self-consistent way. For an atom\nmoving adiabatically, perpendicular to a mirror, our result finds a coherent\nretardation correction up to twice the stationary value. Unruh effect refers\nloosely to the fact that a uniformly accelerated detector feels hot. Two prior\nschemes have been proposed for the detection of `Unruh radiation\u0027, based on\ncharged particles in linear accelerators and storage rings. Here we are\ninterested in a third scheme proposed recently by Scully {\\it et al}\n\\cite{Scully03} involving the injection of accelerated atoms into a microwave\nor optical cavity. We analyze two main factors instrumental to the purported\nsuccess in this scheme, the cavity factor and the sudden switch-on factor. We\nconclude that the effects engendered from these factors are unrelated to the\nUnruh effect.",
"arxiv_id": "quant-ph/0401188",
"authors": [
"B. L. Hu",
"A. Roura",
"S. Shresta"
],
"categories": [
"quant-ph",
"cond-mat.other",
"gr-qc"
],
"doi": "10.1088/1464-4266/6/8/011",
"journal_ref": "J.Opt.B quant.Semiclass.Opt.6:S698-S705,2004",
"title": "Vacuum fluctuations and moving atoms/detectors: From Casimir-Polder to Unruh effect",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0401188"
},
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