Thermal Lifshitz Force between Atom and Conductor with Small Density of Carriers

TL;DR

This paper introduces a generalized Lifshitz theory for atom-conductor interactions that accounts for small carrier densities and spatial dispersion, bridging dielectric and metallic behaviors.

Contribution

It develops a new theoretical framework incorporating static field penetration and spatial dispersion for conductors with low carrier densities, extending Lifshitz theory.

Findings

Describes the crossover between dielectric and metallic Lifshitz results

Accounts for static field penetration in conductors with small carrier densities

Generalizes Lifshitz theory to include spatial dispersion effects

Abstract

A new theory describing the interaction between atoms and a conductor with small densities of current carriers is presented. The theory takes into account the penetration of the static component of the thermally fluctuating field in the conductor and generalizes the Lifshitz theory in the presence of a spatial dispersion. The equation obtained for the force describes the continuous crossover between the Lifshitz results for dielectrics and metals.