Quantum thermal field fluctuation induced corrections to the interaction between two ground-state atoms

作     者：Shijing Cheng Wenting Zhou Hongwei Yu Shijing Cheng;Wenting Zhou;Hongwei Yu

作者机构：School of Fundamental Physics and Mathematical SciencesHangzhou Institute for Advanced StudyUCASHangzhou 310024China School of Physical SciencesUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesNo.19A Yuquan RoadBeijing 100049China Department of PhysicsSchool of Physical Science and TechnologyNingbo UniversityNingbo 315211China Department of Physics and Synergetic Innovation Center for Quantum Effect and ApplicationsHunan Normal UniversityChangsha 410081China 

出 版 物：《Communications in Theoretical Physics》 (理论物理通讯（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2022年第74卷第12期

页      面：35-44页

核心收录：

学科分类：07[理学] 070203[理学-原子与分子物理] 070201[理学-理论物理] 0702[理学-物理学] 

基　　金：the NSFC under Grants No.11690034,No.12075084,No.11875172 and No.12047551,and No.12105061 the K C Wong Magna Fund in Ningbo University 

主　　题：quantum thermal fluctuations van der Waals interaction Casimir-Polder interaction the fourth-order DDC formalism 

摘      要：We generalize the formalism proposed by Dalibard, Dupont-Roc, and Cohen-Tannoudji(the DDC formalism) in the fourth order for two atoms in interaction with scalar fields in vacuum to a thermal bath at finite temperature T, and then calculate the interatomic interaction energy of two ground-state atoms separately in terms of the contributions of thermal fluctuations and the radiation reaction of the atoms and analyze in detail the thermal corrections to the van der Waals and Casimir–Polder interactions. We discover a particular region, i.e. 4(λ3β)(1/2) ■ L■λwith L, β and λ denoting the interatomic separation, the wavelength of thermal photons and the transition wavelength of the atoms respectively, where the thermal corrections remarkably render the van der Waals force, which is usually attractive, repulsive, leading to an interesting crossover phenomenon of the interatomic interaction from attractive to repulsive as the temperature increases. We also find that the thermal corrections cause significant changes to the Casimir–Polder force when the temperature is sufficiently high, resulting in an attractive force proportional to TL-3in the λ ■ β ■ L region, and a force that can be either attractive or repulsive and even vanishing in the β ■ λ ■ L region depending on the interatomic separation.