Will a Decaying Atom Feel a Friction Force?

Sonnleitner, Matthias; Trautmann, Nils; Barnett, Stephen M.

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.118.053601

Cited by 40 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…in agreement with our earlier expression (8). This simple expression for the net force F, which can be obtained more rigorously (8), has confirmed our initial instincts that there is indeed a vacuum friction force, however counterintuitive this conclusion may be.…”

Section: Vacuum Friction: a Physical Derivationsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Hidden within the combination of the optical Doppler shift and the interaction between light and atoms is a paradox, which we have identified recently (8). The point CONTACT Stephen M. Barnett stephen.barnett@glasgow.ac.uk is simply made: an excited atom in an otherwise empty region of space can return to its ground state by the spontaneous emission of a photon.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our earlier publication on this problem was necessarily somewhat formal and rigorous (8). Our aim here is to present the key ideas in a more physical fashion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vacuum friction

Barnett

Sonnleitner

2017

Journal of Modern Optics

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We know that in empty space there is no preferred state of rest. This is true both in special relativity but also in Newtonian mechanics with its associated Galilean relativity. It comes as something of a surprise, therefore, to discover the existence a friction force associated with spontaneous emission. The resolution of this paradox relies on a central idea from special relativity even though our derivation of it is non-relativistic. We examine the possibility that the physics underlying this effect might be explored in an ion trap, via the observation of a superposition of different mass states. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Section: Vacuum Friction: a Physical Derivationsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vacuum friction

Barnett

Sonnleitner

2017

Journal of Modern Optics

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“…Indeed, the Heisenberg equations of motion for the velocity of the atom does not include this correction. The solution presented in [1] is plausible and strongly supported by classical arguments [9], but it has not been derived. Other authors noting related effects in moving dielectrics also had to argue similarly [4,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Mass-energy and anomalous friction in quantum optics

2018

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The usual multipolar Hamiltonian for atom-light interaction features a non-relativistic moving atom interacting with electromagnetic fields which inherently follow Lorentzian symmetry. This combination can lead to situations where atoms appear to experience a friction force, when in fact they only change their internal mass-energy due to the emission or absorption of a photon. Unfortunately, the simple Galilean description of the atom's motion is not sufficient to distinguish between a change in momentum due to acceleration and a change in momentum due to a change in internal mass-energy. In this work we show how a low-order relativistic correction can be included in the multipolar atom-light Hamiltonian. We also give examples how this affects the most basic mechanical interactions between atoms and photons.

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“…This talk will present some of these, starting with a paradox which points to the existence of a fiction force acting on a radiating atom in an otherwise empty region of space [2].…”

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confidence: 99%