Thermal radiation, radiation force and dynamics of a polarizable particle

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the fluctuation-electromagnetic interactions of a small polarizable particle in relativistic motion relative to blackbody radiation, deriving formulas for forces, heating, and mass change, and clarifying previous results.

Contribution

It provides explicit formulas for radiation forces and related quantities, clarifying their interrelations and correcting earlier misunderstandings in the field.

Findings

Derived explicit formula for the frictional force in the particle's rest frame.

Established connection between particle acceleration and tangential radiation force.

Refuted previous criticisms of their earlier results.

Abstract

We discuss basic expressions and interrelations between various physical quantities describing the fluctuation-electromagnetic interaction of a small polarizable particle during relativistic motion relative to the blackbody radiation, namely tangential radiation force, rate of heating, intensity of thermal radiation/absorption, the change of the rest mass of a particle, and acceleration. We obtain an explicit formula for the frictional force acting on the particle in its rest frame and discuss its connection with the particle acceleration and the tangential force given in the reference frame of background radiation. The criticism of our previous results in recent paper by A. I. Volokitin (Phys. Rev. A81, 2015, 032505) is refuted.