Quantum Brownian Motion of a particle from Casimir-Polder Interactions

TL;DR

This paper models the quantum Brownian motion of a dielectric particle near a surface, revealing how Casimir-Polder interactions induce dissipation and decoherence, with implications for quantum state preparation in levitated particles.

Contribution

It introduces a quantum Brownian motion framework for a particle near a surface, accounting for electromagnetic field interactions and surface losses, advancing understanding of decoherence mechanisms.

Findings

Dissipation and decoherence depend on surface losses and trap strength.

Modified spectral density characterizes fluctuation-induced effects.

Potential strategies for mitigating decoherence in experiments.

Abstract

We study the fluctuation-induced dissipative dynamics of the quantized center of mass motion of a polarizable dielectric particle trapped near a surface. The particle's center of mass is treated as an open quantum system coupled to the electromagnetic field acting as its environment, with the resulting system dynamics described by a quantum Brownian motion master equation. The dissipation and decoherence of the particle's center of mass are characterized by the modified spectral density of the electromagnetic field that depends on surface losses and the strength of the classical trap field. Our results are relevant to experiments with levitated dielectric particles near surfaces, illustrating potential ways of mitigating fluctuation-induced decoherence while preparing such systems in macroscopic quantum states.