Spatial correlations of vacuum fluctuations and the Casimir-Polder potential

Abstract

We calculate the Casimir-Polder intermolecular potential using an effective Hamiltonian recently introduced. We show that the potential can be expressed in terms of the dynamical polarizabilities of the two atoms and the equal-time spatial correlation of the electric field in the vacuum state. This gives support to an interesting physical model recently proposed in the literature, where the potential is obtained from the classical interaction between the instantaneous atomic dipoles induced and correlated by the vacuum fluctuations. Also, the results obtained suggest a more general validity of this intuitive model, for example when external boundaries or thermal fields are present.

arXiv comment7 pages

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• Resonance interaction energy between two entangled atoms in a photonic bandgap environment
• Casimir-Polder potentials as entanglement probe
• Vacuum field correlations and three-body Casimir-Polder potential with one excited atom
• Nonlocal field correlations and dynamical Casimir-Polder forces between one excited- and two ground-state atoms
• Effects of a uniform acceleration on atom-field interactions
• Time-dependent resonance interaction energy between two entangled atoms under non-equilibrium conditions
• Nonlocal Static and Dynamical Vacuum Field Correlations and Casimir-Polder Interactions