Van-der-Waals potentials of paramagnetic atoms

TL;DR

This paper develops a comprehensive quantum electrodynamics framework to analyze van der Waals interactions involving paramagnetic atoms near magneto-electric bodies, incorporating spin effects and local-field corrections.

Contribution

It introduces a new theoretical approach that includes spin, magnetizability, and local-field effects for calculating van der Waals potentials of paramagnetic atoms.

Findings

Derived explicit formulas for atom-surface van der Waals potentials.

Analyzed two-atom interactions in various media and geometries.

Provided insights into the influence of magneto-electric environments on atomic interactions.

Abstract

We study single- and two-atom van der Waals interactions of ground-state atoms which are both polarizable and paramagnetizable in the presence of magneto-electric bodies within the framework of macroscopic quantum electrodynamics. Starting from an interaction Hamiltonian that includes particle spins, we use leading-order perturbation theory for the van der Waals potentials expressed in terms of the polarizability and magnetizability of the atom(s). To allow for atoms embedded in media, we also include local-field corrections via the real-cavity model. The general theory is applied to the potential of a single atom near a half space and that of two atoms embedded in a bulk medium or placed near a sphere, respectively.