Direct Measurement of Intermediate-Range Casimir-Polder Potentials

Journal Article · Fri Feb 26 04:00:00 EST 2010 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.104.083201· OSTI ID:21386817

Bender, H; Courteille, Ph W; Marzok, C; Zimmermann, C; Slama, S ^[1]

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1. Physikalisches Institut, Eberhard Karls Universitaet Tuebingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 14, D-72076 Tuebingen (Germany)

We present the first direct measurements of Casimir-Polder forces between solid surfaces and atomic gases in the transition regime between the electrostatic short-distance and the retarded long-distance limit. The experimental method is based on ultracold ground-state Rb atoms that are reflected from evanescent wave barriers at the surface of a dielectric glass prism. Our novel approach does not require assumptions about the potential shape. The experimental data are compared to the theoretical predictions valid in the different regimes. They agree best with a full QED calculation.

• OSTI ID: 21386817
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 104; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ALKALI METALS
CASIMIR EFFECT
DATA
DIELECTRIC MATERIALS
DISTANCE
ELECTRODYNAMICS
ELECTROSTATICS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FIELD THEORIES
FLUIDS
GASES
GLASS
GROUND STATES
INFORMATION
MATERIALS
METALS
NUMERICAL DATA
POTENTIALS
PRISMS
QUANTUM ELECTRODYNAMICS
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
RUBIDIUM
SURFACES
THEORETICAL DATA