Temperature-independent Casimir-Polder forces in arbitrary geometries
- Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7491 Trondheim (Norway)
- Quantum Optics and Laser Science, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom)
We prove that the nonretarded Casimir-Polder potential of a particle in an energy eigenstate (hence in thermal nonequilibrium) is independent of the environment temperature for a well-conducting body of arbitrary shape. This is true even when the thermal photon numbers at the relevant atomic transition energies are large. A compact expression is obtained for the temperature-independent potential, which can greatly simplify calculations in nontrivial geometries for experimentally relevant systems such as Rydberg atoms and polar molecules. We give criteria for the validity of our temperature-independent result and derive general expressions for its leading corrections. They are illustrated by numerical studies of a particle near a gold sphere or inside a gold cylindrical cavity.
- OSTI ID:
- 22095516
- Journal Information:
- Physical Review. A, Vol. 84, Issue 6; Other Information: (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1050-2947
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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