Probing Quantum-Vacuum Geometrical Effects with Cold Atoms

Journal Article · Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2008 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.100.040405· OSTI ID:21024644

Dalvit, Diego A. R. ^[1]; Neto, Paulo A. Maia ^[2]; Lambrecht, Astrid; Reynaud, Serge ^[3]

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1. Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)
2. Instituto de Fisica, UFRJ, CP 68528, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-972 (Brazil)
3. Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Case 74, CNRS, ENS, UPMC, Campus Jussieu, F-75252 Paris Cedex 05 (France)

The lateral Casimir-Polder force between an atom and a corrugated surface should allow one to study experimentally nontrivial geometrical effects in the electromagnetic quantum vacuum. Here, we derive the theoretical expression of this force in the scattering approach. We show that large corrections to the 'proximity force approximation' could be measured using present-day technology with a Bose-Einstein condensate used as a vacuum field sensor.

• OSTI ID: 21024644
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 100, Issue 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.040405; (c) 2008 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
APPROXIMATIONS
BOSE-EINSTEIN CONDENSATION
CORRECTIONS
SCATTERING
SENSORS