Related papers: Dephasing in an atom
We show how a simple calculation leads to the surprising result that an excited two-level atom moving through vacuum sees a tiny friction force of first order in v/c. At first sight this seems to be in obvious contradiction to other…
In this Letter, we show that at low temperatures, zero-point fluctuations of the plasmon modes of two mutually coupled 2-D planar Wigner crystals give rise to a novel long-range attractive force. For the case where the distance $d$ between…
This paper is a continuation of a study of the properties and applications of quantum stress tensor fluctuations. Here we treat the vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic energy-momentum flux operator which as been averaged in space and…
The quantum field of a single particle is expressed as the sum of the particle's ordinary wave function and the vacuum fluctuations. An exact quantum-field calculation shows that the squared amplitude of this field sums, at any time, to a…
Spatial fluctuations of the local electric field induced by a constant applied electric field in composite media are studied analytically and numerically. It is found that the density of states for the fields exhibit sharp peaks and abrupt…
We investigate the system constituted by a polarizable atom near a nanosphere under the influence of an external electrostatic field, showing that the attractive dispersive force between them can be overcome by the electrostatic…
We consider $N_a$ three-level atoms (or systems) interacting with a one-mode electromagnetic field in the dipolar and rotating wave approximations. The order of the quantum phase transitions is determined explicitly for each of the…
Understanding the effect of electric fields on the physical and chemical properties of two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures is instrumental in the design of novel electronic and optoelectronic devices. Several of those properties are…
The static Casimir effect describes an attractive force between two conducting plates, due to quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic (EM) field in the intervening space. {\it Thermal fluctuations} of correlated fluids (such as critical…
A sweep through a quantum phase transition by means of a time-dependent external parameter (e.g., pressure) entails non-equilibrium phenomena associated with a break-down of adiabaticity: At the critical point, the energy gap vanishes and…
The mean-field dynamics of a molecule with an induced dipole moment (e.g., a homonuclear diatomic molecule) in a deterministic and a stochastic (fluctuating) electric field is solved to obtain the decoherence properties of the system. The…
The possibility of the existence of natural self-oscillation of a free electron is suggested. This oscillation depends on the interaction of the electron with its own electromagnetic fields. Suitable standing wave solutions of the…
Violation of the action-reaction principle is shown to occur in the van der Waals interaction between two atoms, one of which is excited. It is accompanied by the transfer of linear momentum to the electromagnetic vacuum. The vacuum…
The results of a theoretical investigation of the energy loss of charged particles in a magnetized classical plasma due to the electric field fluctuations are reported. The energy loss for a test particle is calculated through the…
The dielectric susceptibility of a wide class of dielectric materials follows, over extended frequency ranges, a fractional power-law frequency dependence that is called the "universal" response. The electromagnetic fields in such…
Electron dispersion forces play a crucial role in determining the structure and properties of biomolecules, molecular crystals and many other systems. However, an accurate description of dispersion is highly challenging, with the most…
Between mirrors, the density of electromagnetic modes differs from the one in free space. This changes the radiation properties of an atom as well as the light forces acting on an atom. It has profound consequences in the strong-coupling…
In inhomogeneous dielectric media the divergence of the electromagnetic stress is related to the gradients of \varepsilon and \mu, which is a consequence of Maxwell's equations. Investigating spherically symmetric media we show that this…
The discrete and charge-separated nature of matter - electrons and nuclei - results in local electrostatic fields that are ubiquitous in nanoscale structures and are determined by their shape, material, and environment. Such fields are…
The motion of a particle in a ring of length L is influenced by a dirty metal environment whose fluctuations are characterized by a short correlation distance $\ell << L$. We analyze the induced decoherence process, and compare the results…