Stirring the quantum vacuum: Angular Casimir Momentum of a Landau Charge

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the electromagnetic quantum vacuum influences the angular momentum of a charged particle in a magnetic field, revealing a recoil effect from vacuum photons that surpasses the particle's kinetic angular momentum.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of vacuum-induced angular momentum recoil in a Landau charge, highlighting a novel quantum vacuum effect on angular momentum.

Findings

Vacuum photons cause a recoil angular momentum that grows faster than the particle's kinetic angular momentum.

The orbital angular momentum from the vacuum scales as n^2, exceeding the Landau level angular momentum.

Quantum vacuum effects significantly impact the angular momentum dynamics of charged particles in magnetic fields.

Abstract

We consider the angular momentum of a charge q rotating in a homogeneous magnetic field and study the role of the electromagnetic quantum vacuum. Its orbital angular momentum is caused by the recoil of energetic vacuum photons that grows as n^2, i.e. faster than the kinetic angular momentum -2n\hbar of a Landau level.