Vacuum Friction

Abstract

We know that in empty space there is no preferred state of rest. This is true both in special relativity but also in Newtonian mechanics with its associated Galilean relativity. It comes as something of a surprise, therefore, to discover the existence a friction force associated with spontaneous emission. he resolution of this paradox relies on a central idea from special relativity even though our derivation of it is non-relativistic. We examine the possibility that the physics underlying this effect might be explored in an ion trap, via the observation of a superposition of different mass states.

8 pages, 2 figures. Published in Journal of Modern Optics on 14 September 2017. Version 2 with a corrected typo on page 6

References in corpus (2)

• Precision Atomic Physics Techniques for Nuclear Physics with Radioactive Beams
• Will a decaying atom feel a friction force?

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Post-Newtonian Hamiltonian description of an atom in a weak gravitational field
• Mass-energy and anomalous friction in quantum optics
• Phase space density limitation in laser cooling without spontaneous emission
• Post-Newtonian Description of Quantum Systems in Gravitational Fields
• Motion-induced spin transfer
• Vacuum friction of uniformly accelerated detector