Casimir Momentum of a Chiral Molecule in a Magnetic Field

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates through quantum electrodynamics that a chiral molecule in a magnetic field acquires a vacuum-induced kinetic momentum, revealing a quantum Casimir effect linked to molecular chirality and magnetic fields.

Contribution

The study provides the first quantum electrodynamics calculation showing vacuum-induced momentum in chiral molecules under magnetic fields, connecting quantum vacuum effects to molecular chirality.

Findings

Quantum vacuum imparts momentum to chiral molecules in magnetic fields.

Momentum is proportional to rotatory power and fine structure constant.

No classical momentum exists without quantum effects.

Abstract

In a classical description, a neutral, polarizable object acquires a kinetic momentum when exposed to crossed electric and magnetic fields. In the presence of only a magnetic field no such momentum exists classically, although it is symmetry-allowed for an object lacking mirror symmetry. We perform a full QED calculation to show that the quantum vacuum coupled to a chiral molecule provides a kinetic "Casimir" momentum directed along the magnetic field, proportional to its rotatory power and the fine structure constant.