Casimir-Polder potential in a dielectric medium out of thermal equilibrium

Journal Article · Wed Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2010 · Physical Review. A

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVA.82.062522· OSTI ID:21528881

Rodriguez, Justo J; Salam, A ^[1]

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1. Department of Chemistry, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27109 (United States)

The Casimir-Polder potential between a pair of atoms or molecules, either one of which may be excited, in a dielectric medium out of thermal equilibrium is obtained using a field operator that accounts for the attenuation or amplification of the radiation. Two contributions to the intermolecular potential are identified. One term is that induced by the excitations and relaxations that the interacting molecules experience due to the thermal bath, obtained using the resonance energy transfer rate and the Wigner-Weisskopf model. The second contribution arises as a consequence of the polarization induced in the interacting molecules by vacuum and thermal radiation. A number of disagreements between the present theory and several previously reported formulations examining this intermolecular potential are revealed.

• OSTI ID: 21528881
• Journal Information: Physical Review. A, Vol. 82, Issue 6; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.82.062522; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1050-2947
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ATOMS
DIELECTRIC MATERIALS
ENERGY TRANSFER
EXCITATION
FIELD OPERATORS
MOLECULES
POLARIZATION
POTENTIALS
RELAXATION
THERMAL EQUILIBRIUM
THERMAL RADIATION
WEISSKOPF MODEL
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EQUILIBRIUM
EVAPORATION MODEL
MATERIALS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATHEMATICAL OPERATORS
NUCLEAR MODELS
QUANTUM OPERATORS
RADIATIONS