Fluctuations, Dissipation and the Dynamical Casimir Effect

Abstract

Vacuum fluctuations provide a fundamental source of dissipation for systems coupled to quantum fields by radiation pressure. In the dynamical Casimir effect, accelerating neutral bodies in free space give rise to the emission of real photons while experiencing a damping force which plays the role of a radiation reaction force. Analog models where non-stationary conditions for the electromagnetic field simulate the presence of moving plates are currently under experimental investigation. A dissipative force might also appear in the case of uniform relative motion between two bodies, thus leading to a new kind of friction mechanism without mechanical contact. In this paper, we review recent advances on the dynamical Casimir and non-contact friction effects, highlighting their common physical origin.

Numerical approach to simulating interference phenomena in a cavity with two oscillating mirrors

“…Besides the change of the zero point energy of the quantum vacuum provoked by static boundary conditions a second, there is a yet even more fascinating feature of the quantum vacuum arising when considering dynamical boundaries conditions. The presence of moving boundaries leads to a non stable vacuum electromagnetic state, resulting in the generation of real photons, which is an amazing demonstration of the existence of quantum vacuum fluctuations of quantum electrodynamics (QED), referred to in the literature as the dynamical Casimir effect (DCE) [1] or motion-induced radiation. DCE is a common name ascribed to the processes in which photons are generated from vacuum due to the external time variation of boundary conditions for some field [2][3][4].…”

Oscillating dipole layer facing a conducting plane: a classical analogue of the dynamical Casimir effect

“…Just considering dimensional arguments, and limiting the analysis to the non-relativistic case, one expect that the dissipative force per unit length on the mirror to be proportional to ... α /c 4 , where α denotes the acceleration. This force corresponds to a spectral density P DCE (ω) ∼ |q(ω)| 2 ω 6 /c 4 [1][2][3]. In order to estimate the dissipation rate, U rad one may assume that the location of the oscillation part is given by q(t) = q 3 cos(ω 3 t), where q 3 is the amplitude and ω 3 is the frequency of the motion.…”

“…Note that, in order to have a measure of the radiated energy, we will be interested in x 3 > max{ψ(t)}, discarding near-field, convective contributions, which decay with x 3 .…”

“…The dynamical Casimir effect (DCE) (for recent reviews see: [1][2][3]; for the radiation spectrum and angular distribution of the DCE radiation, see, for example, [4][5][6][7]), provides an example of the role that quantum fluctuations can play in the coupling between the mechanical motion of a (neutral) mirror and the quantum degrees of freedom of the electromagnetic (EM) field. That coupling may result, under appropriate circumstances, in the resonant production of photons out of the vacuum.…”

Casimir-Polder force between anisotropic nanoparticles and gently curved surfaces

“…The forces between a particle (atom) and a flat surfaces have been extensively studied [9]; for recent reviews see [10,11]. However, roughness and curvature which are ubiquitous features of many surfaces modify fluctuationinduced forces.…”