Dynamical Casimir effects with atoms: from the emission of photon pairs to geometric phases

TL;DR

This paper explores the dynamical Casimir effect involving atoms, highlighting phenomena like photon pair emission and geometric phases, and discusses recent advances linking various fundamental physics concepts.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of how moving atoms interact with electromagnetic fields, revealing new connections between quantum effects and geometric phases.

Findings

Photon pair emission from moving atoms

Geometric phase shifts in atom interferometers

Links between non-unitary evolution and inertia

Abstract

The coupling between a moving ground-state atom and the quantum electromagnetic field is at the origin of several intriguing phenomena ranging from the dynamical Casimir emission of photons to Sagnac-like geometric phase shifts in atom interferometers. Recent progress in this emerging field reveals unprecedented connections between non-trivial aspects of modern physics such as electrodynamic retardation, non-unitary evolution in open quantum systems, geometric phases, non-locality and inertia.