The influence of temporal coherence on the dynamical Casimir effect

TL;DR

This paper investigates how finite temporal coherence, linked to cavity quality, affects photon pair production in the dynamical Casimir effect using a time refraction model.

Contribution

It introduces a model incorporating finite coherence time into the dynamical Casimir effect, deriving asymptotic photon pair generation expressions.

Findings

Finite coherence reduces photon pair production.

Asymptotic formulas quantify coherence effects.

Model bridges cavity quality and quantum vacuum fluctuations.

Abstract

We study the dynamical Casimir effect in the presence of a finite coherence time, which is associated with a finite quality factor of the optical cavity. We use the time refraction model, where a fixed cavity with a modulated optical medium, replaces the empty cavity with a vibrating mirror. Temporal coherence is described with the help of cavity quasi-mode operators. Asymptotic expressions for the number of photon pairs generated from vacuum are derived.