Resonance oscillations of non-reciprocal long-range van der Waals forces between atoms in electromagnetic fields

TL;DR

This paper theoretically investigates how non-reciprocal, resonant, and oscillating van der Waals forces between two atoms can be controlled by tuning the electromagnetic field spectrum, especially at large distances.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework for understanding and manipulating non-equilibrium van der Waals forces with electromagnetic fields, highlighting their resonant and non-reciprocal nature.

Findings

Van der Waals forces become resonant and oscillate at large distances.

Non-reciprocal forces arise due to virtual photon exchange.

Control of forces is possible via spectrum tuning of artificial light.

Abstract

We study theoretically the van der Waals interaction between two atoms out of equilibrium with isotropic electromagnetic field. We demonstrate that at large interatomic separations, the van der Waals forces are resonant, spatially oscillating and non-reciprocal due to resonance absorption and emission of virtual photons. We suggest that the van der Waals forces can be controlled and manipulated by tuning the spectrum of artificially created random light.