Related papers: Quantum Vacuum in Matter
The control of the electronic properties of materials via the vacuum fields of cavity electromagnetic resonators is one of the emerging frontiers of condensed matter physics. We show here that the enhancement of vacuum field fluctuations in…
Quantum liquids, in which an effective Lorentzian metric and thus some kind of gravity gradually arise in the low-energy corner, are the objects where the problems related to the quantum vacuum can be investigated in detail. In particular,…
We discuss the main myths related to the vacuum energy and cosmological constant, such as: ``unbearable lightness of space-time''; the dominating contribution of zero point energy of quantum fields to the vacuum energy; non-zero vacuum…
We expect quantum field theories for matter to acquire intricate corrections due to their coupling to quantum fluctuations of the gravitational field. This can be precisely worked out in 3d quantum gravity: after integrating out quantum…
All experimental evidence {indicates} that the vacuum is not void, but filled with something truly quantum. This is reflected by terms such as {zero-point} fluctuations, and Dirac's sea of virtual particle-antiparticle pairs, and last but…
We want to study the influence of the quantum vacuum on the light propagation. At first, by working in the standard linear quantum theory of the electromagnetic fields, it is shown that the electric permittivity and the magnetic…
In this thesis, we investigate quantum vacuum effects in the presence of gravitational fields. After discussing the general theory of vacuum effects in strong fields we apply it to the relevant issue of the interaction of the quantum vacuum…
Any quantum system interacting with a complex environment undergoes decoherence. Empty space is filled with vacuum energy due to matter fields in their ground state and represents an underlying environment that any quantum particle has to…
It is suggested that the vacuum expectation of the quantum vacuum energy-momentum is zero, but quantum fluctuations give rise to a space-time curvature equivalent to that of a cosmological constant or dark energy. Calculations within…
We discuss some effects induced by quantum field fluctuations on mass, inertia and gravitation. Recalling the problem raised by vacuum field fluctuations with respect to inertia and gravitation, we show that vacuum energy differences, such…
The free energy due to the vacuum fluctuations of matter fields on a classical gravitational background is discussed. It is shown explicitly how this energy is calculated for a non-minimally coupled scalar field in an arbitrary…
The interaction between the electromagnetic field inside a cavity and natural or artificial atoms has played a crucial role in developing our understanding of light-matter interaction, and is central to various quantum technologies.…
We assume that particles are point-like objects even when not observed. We report on the consequences of our assumption within the realm of quantum theory. An important consequence is the necessity of vacuum fields to account for particle…
Quantum vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field result in two signatures on a harmonically trapped charged particle: a shift from the natural trap frequency and generation of quantum coherences. We assess the role of the…
An extension of the fundamental laws of thermodynamics and of the concept of entropy to the ground state fluctuations of the quantum fields is studied and some new results are found. At the end a device to extract energy from the vacuum…
Equilibrium quantum phase transitions profoundly reshape the ground state of light-matter systems; yet, the resulting quantum correlations, such as squeezing and entanglement, remain experimentally inaccessible since they involve virtual…
It has recently been proposed that vacuum energy is zero in spite of the quantum-field fluctuations that occur everywhere, even at absolute zero. The implication is that dark energy must have a different origin, unrelated to vacuum energy.…
The interference pattern of coherent electrons is effected by coupling to the quantized electromagnetic field. The amplitudes of the interference maxima are changed by a factor which depends upon a double line integral of the photon…
Quantum fluctuations of the vacuum stress-energy tensor are highly non-Gaussian, and can have unexpectedly large effects on spacetime geometry. In this paper, we study a two-dimensional dilaton gravity model coupled to a conformal field, in…
One of the most important insights of quantum field theory is that electromagnetic fields must fluctuate. Even in the vacuum state, the electric and magnetic fields have a nonzero variance, leading to ubiquitous effects such as spontaneous…