Related papers: Will a decaying atom feel a friction force?
We consider a pair of three-level atoms interacting with the vacuum. The process of disentanglement due to spontaneous emission and the role of quantum interference between principal transitions in this process, are analysed. We show that…
A number of recent controversial experiments have observed anomalous thrust forces with devices making use of electromagnetic fields, and which do not appear to emit any particles or radiation; in apparent violation of the principle of the…
We study quantum friction and Casimir forces with a full-relativistic formalism for atoms modelled as Unruh-DeWitt detectors in the presence of arbitrary macroscopic objects. We consider the general case of atoms with arbitrary relativistic…
Analysis of collisions is standardly included in the introductory physics course. In one dimension (1D), there do not seem to be any unusual issues: Typically, the initial velocities of the two colliding objects are specified, and the…
A new mechanism of adjustment of vacuum energy down to the observed value from an initially huge one is considered. The mechanism is based on a very strong variation of the gravitational coupling constant in very early universe. The model…
Electronic and vibrational degrees of freedom in atom-cluster collisions are treated simultaneously and self-consistently by combining time-dependent density functional theory with classical molecular dynamics. The gradual change of the…
We investigate the velocity dependence of kinetic friction with a model which makes minimal assumptions on the actual mechanism of friction so that it can be applied at many scales provided the system involves multi-contact friction. Using…
We calculate the van der Waals friction between two semi-infinite solids in normal relative motion and find a drastic difference in comparison with the parallel relative motion. The case of the good conductors is investigated in details…
We study quantum dissipative effects due to the non-relativistic, bounded, accelerated motion of a single neutral atom in the presence of a planar perfect mirror, i.e. a perfect conductor at all frequencies. We consider a simplified model…
According to some authors, gravity might be an emergent phenomenon in a fundamentally flat space-time. In this case the speed of light in the vacuum would not coincide exactly with the basic parameter "c" entering Lorentz transformations…
Molecular dynamics simulations are used to study contact between a rigid, nonadhesive, spherical tip with radius of order 30nm and a flat elastic substrate covered with a fluid monolayer of adsorbed chain molecules. Previous studies of bare…
It is generally assumed that the physical vacuum of particle physics should be characterized by an energy momentum tensor in such a way to preserve exact Lorentz invariance. On the other hand, if the ground state were characterized by its…
We numerically calculate the energy and momentum transfer rates due to Coulomb scattering between two fluids moving with a relative velocity. The results are fitted by simple functions. The fitting formulae are useful to simulate outflows…
We investigate radiative processes of inertial two-level atoms in an entangled state interacting with a quantum electromagnetic field. Our intention is to clarify and to analyze the contributions of vacuum fluctuations and radiation…
Quantum gravitational effects may induce stochastic fluctuations in the structure of space-time, to produce a characteristic foamy structure. It has been known for some time now that these fluctuations may have observable consequencies for…
Molecular dynamics study of a thin (one to five layers) lubricant film between two substrates in moving contact are performed using Langevin equations with an external damping coefficient depending on distance and velocity of atoms relative…
The self-energy of a moving vortex is shown do decrease with increasing velocity. The interaction energy of two parallel slowly moving vortices differs from the static case by a small term $\propto v^2$; the "slow" motion is defined as…
It is shown that the momentum diffusion of free-space laser cooling has a natural correspondence in optical cavities when the internal state of the atom is treated as a harmonic oscillator. We derive a general expression for the momentum…
Experiments on the motion of a particle on an inclined rough plane have yielded some surprising results. For example, it was found that the frictional force acting on the ball is viscous, {\it i.e.} proportional to the velocity rather than…
The cosmological constant presents one of the most fascinating and confounding problems in physics. A straightforward, seemingly robust prediction of quantum mechanics and general relativity is that the vacuum energy gravitates. Therefore,…