Creation of Van der Waals, Casimir, and many more stochastic forces, with light radiation pressure via optics of randomly fluctuating sources

TL;DR

This paper explores how random electromagnetic fields emitted by tailored optical sources can generate stochastic forces like Van der Waals and Casimir forces, expanding understanding of light-matter interactions.

Contribution

It demonstrates that partially coherent random optical sources can induce forces equivalent to Van der Waals and Casimir effects, offering new ways to control matter with light.

Findings

Random optical sources can produce Casimir-like forces.

Partially coherent fields influence matter similarly to thermal fluctuations.

Optical manipulation of stochastic forces is feasible with tailored sources.

Abstract

The mechanical action on matter of the electromagnetic field emitted by a fluctuating source is governed by its statistics. In particular, thermal sources and vacuum fluctuations exert on bodies those well-known Casimir (C) and Van der Waals (VdW) forces. However, we have recently demonstrated that partially coherent random electromagnetic fields emitted by tailored optical sources, induce a photonic force on particles which, in particular, may be equivalent to those of Van der Waals and Casimir.