Accurate estimate of $C_5$ dispersion coefficients of the alkali atoms interacting with different material media

TL;DR

This paper accurately estimates the $C_5$ dispersion coefficients for alkali atoms interacting with various materials by calculating quadrupole polarizabilities using a relativistic coupled-cluster method, highlighting their significance at short distances.

Contribution

The study introduces a precise calculation of $C_5$ coefficients for alkali atoms with different media, incorporating quadrupole polarization effects using advanced relativistic methods.

Findings

$C_5$ coefficients significantly influence atom-wall interactions at 1-10 nm.

Calculated $C_3$ coefficients for Fr atom with various media.

Quadrupole polarization effects are crucial for accurate long-range interaction modeling.

Abstract

By inferring the dynamic permittivity of different material media from the observations and calculating dynamic electric dipole polarizabilties of the Li through Cs alkali atoms, precise values of $C_3$ coefficients were estimated in Phys. Rev. A {\bf 89}, 022511 (2014) and Phys. Lett. A {\bf 380}, 3366 (2016). Since significant contribution towards the long range van der Waals potential is given by the quadrupole polarization effects, we have estimated the $C_5$ coefficients in this work arising from the quadrupole polarization effects of all the alkali atoms interacting with metal (Au), semiconductor (Si) and four dielectric materials (SiO$_2$, SiN$_x$, YAG and sapphire). The required dynamic electric quadrupole (E2) polarizabilities are evaluated by calculating E2 matrix elements of a large number of transitions in the alkali atoms by employing a relativistic coupled-cluster method. Our finding shows that contributions from the $C_5$ coefficients to the atom-wall interaction potentials are pronounced at short distances (1$-$10 nm). The $C_3$ coefficients of Fr atom interacting with the above material media are also reported. These results can be useful in understanding the interactions of alkali atoms trapped in different material bodies during the high-precision measurements.