Nonequilibrium Casimir-Polder plasmonic interactions

TL;DR

This paper develops a quantum theoretical framework to study how nonequilibrium conditions, such as temperature variations and laser interactions, influence Casimir-Polder forces between atoms and surfaces, revealing complex energy landscapes.

Contribution

It introduces a self-consistent quantum model for nonequilibrium atom-surface interactions, highlighting the effects of temperature inhomogeneities and laser fields.

Findings

Nonmonotonous energy landscapes with barriers and minima can be engineered.

Nonequilibrium effects significantly alter Casimir-Polder interactions.

The framework enables exploration of tailored atom-surface force landscapes.

Abstract

We investigate how the combination of nonequilibrium effects and material properties impacts on the Casimir-Polder interaction between an atom and a surface. By addressing systems with temperature inhomogeneities and laser interactions, we show that nonmonotonous energetic landscapes can be produced where barriers and minima appear. Our treatment provides a self-consistent quantum theoretical framework for investigating the properties of a class of nonequilibrium atom-surface interactions.