Related papers: The temperature of the quantum vacuum
We investigate the phenomenon of quantum radiation - i.e. the conversion of (virtual) quantum fluctuations into (real) particles induced by dynamical external conditions - for an initial thermal equilibrium state. For a resonantly vibrating…
The electromagnetic vacuum is known to have energy. It has been recently argued that the quantum vacuum can possess momentum, that adds up to the momentum of matter. This ``Casimir momentum'' is closely related to the Casimir effect, in…
In previous works Suppes and de Barros used a pure particle model to derive interference effects, where individual photons have well-defined trajectories, and hence no wave properties. In the present paper we extend that description to…
Zero-point energy is generally known to be unphysical. Casimir effect, however, is often presented as a counterexample, giving rise to a conceptual confusion. To resolve the confusion we study foundational aspects of Casimir effect at a…
Modern quantum field theory has offered us a very intriguing picture of empty space. The vacuum state is no longer an inert, motionless state. We are instead dealing with an entity teeming with fluctuations that continuously produce virtual…
The dynamical Casimir effect is the physical phenomenon where the mechanical energy of a movable wall of a cavity confining a quantum field can be converted into quanta of the field itself. This effect has been recognized as one of the most…
The existence of irreducible field fluctuations in vacuum is an important prediction of quantum theory. These fluctuations have many observable consequences, like the Casimir effect which is now measured with good accuracy and agreement…
In quantum theory the vacuum is defined as a state of minimum energy that is devoid of particles but still not completely empty. It is perhaps more surprising that its definition depends on the geometry of the system and on the trajectory…
We explore an analogy between the thermodynamics of a free dissipative quantum particle and that of an electromagnetic field between two mirrors of finite conductivity. While a free particle isolated from its environment will effectively be…
We study Casimir effect in equilibrium and non-equilibrium photon gas in the frame of quantum kinetic theory for $U(1)$ gauge field. We derive first the transport, constraint and gauge fixing equations for the photon number distribution…
The Galilean covariance, formulated in 5-dimensions space, describes the non-relativistic physics in a way similar to quantum field theory. Using a non-relativistic approach the Stefan-Boltzmann law and the Casimir effect at finite…
In this letter we propose a new interpretation of the Casimir effect. Concretely, we show that the Casimir energy can be written as the quantum ``Von Neumann'' entropy associated to a 2-qubit, mixed pseudo-density matrix of the relevant…
Thermal effects on the creation of particles under the influence of time-dependent boundary conditions are investigated. The dominant temperature correction to the energy radiated by a moving mirror is derived by means of response theory.…
In a recent trilogy we proposed a Statistical Theory of General Relativity spacetime. Here we apply our new theory to determine the (energy) ``density'' and (virial) ``temperature'' dependence of the structure of the spacetime quantum…
We consider one-dimensional propagation of quantum light in the presence of a block of material, with a full account of dispersion and absorption. The electromagnetic zero-point energy for some frequencies is damped (suppressed) by the…
We study the fundamental limitations of cooling to absolute zero for a qubit, interacting with a single mode of the electromagnetic field. Our results show that the dynamical Casimir effect, which is unavoidable in any finite-time…
We develop a non-conventional description of the vacuum energy in quantum field theory in terms of quantum entropy. Precisely, we show that the vacuum energy of any non-interacting quantum field at zero temperature is proportional to the…
Quantum mechanics predicts the occurrence of random electromagnetic field fluctuations, or virtual photons, in vacuum. The exchange of virtual photons between two bodies in relative motion could lead to non-contact quantum vacuum friction…
In certain special circumstances, such as in the vicinity of a black hole or in a uniformly accelerating frame, vacuum fluctuations appear to give rise to a finite-temperature environment. This effect, currently without experimental…
In this report we show that vacuum is a nonlinear optical medium and we discuss what are the optical phenomena that should exist in the framework of the standard model of particle physics. We pay special attention to the low energy limit.…