Vacuum Friction

TL;DR

This paper explores a paradoxical friction force linked to spontaneous emission in space, proposing that it can be examined experimentally in ion traps through superpositions of mass states, despite its relativistic origins.

Contribution

It introduces a novel friction effect associated with spontaneous emission and suggests a non-relativistic derivation rooted in special relativity principles, with potential experimental verification.

Findings

Identification of a friction force due to spontaneous emission

Proposed experimental setup using ion traps

Insight into relativistic effects in non-relativistic systems

Abstract

We know that in empty space there is no preferred state of rest. This is true both in special relativity but also in Newtonian mechanics with its associated Galilean relativity. It comes as something of a surprise, therefore, to discover the existence a friction force associated with spontaneous emission. he resolution of this paradox relies on a central idea from special relativity even though our derivation of it is non-relativistic. We examine the possibility that the physics underlying this effect might be explored in an ion trap, via the observation of a superposition of different mass states.