Mechanical response of the quantum vacuum to dynamic deformations of a cavity
Abstract
We consider two dynamically deforming plates immersed in the vacuum of a scalar field. We study both the (generalized) Neumann and the Dirichlet boundary conditions on the surfaces. For rough plates undergoing small displacements parallel or perpendicular to the normal axis, the mass correction, the vacuum viscosity, and the dissipation rate arising from photon emission inside the cavity, are calculated. In the case of motion along the normal axis, these quantities have no dependence on the shape of plates, and the Neumann ones are greater. We examine the specific example of two corrugated surfaces of a wave number k1p and mean separation H , performing lateral oscillation with a frequency ω1p . In contrast to Dirichlet photons, Neumann photons can be excited for all values of k1p , H , and ω1p . For short cavity lengths, the number of Neumann photons increases as H-2 . The phase difference between the harmonic motion of plates can be used to tune the dissipation rate. Neumann mass correction and dissipation rate are greater than Dirichlet ones. We calculated the force exerted on two corrugated plates that are moving uniformly in the lateral directions. This lateral force decreases as exp(-k1pH) if k1pH>1 , increases as H-5 if k1pH<0.1 , and is stronger in the case of the Dirichlet boundary condition.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review A
- Pub Date:
- August 2006
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevA.74.023801
- Bibcode:
- 2006PhRvA..74b3801S
- Keywords:
-
- 42.50.Pq;
- 42.50.Lc;
- 03.70.+k;
- Cavity quantum electrodynamics;
- micromasers;
- Quantum fluctuations quantum noise and quantum jumps;
- Theory of quantized fields