posted on 2023-06-07, 21:39authored byClaudia Eberlein, Robert Zietal
We derive the nonretarded energy shift of a neutral atom for two different geometries. For an atom close to a cylindrical wire we find an integral representation for the energy shift, give asymptotic expressions, and interpolate numerically. For an atom close to a semi-infinite half plane we determine the exact Green's function of the Laplace equation and use it to derive the exact energy shift for an arbitrary position of the atom. These results can be used to estimate the energy shift of an atom close to etched microstructures that protrude from substrates.
The paper determines the force exerted on a neutral atom by the vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field close to a cylindrical wire or near a semi-infinite halfplane made of relfecting material. I did this work together with an undergraduate student, for whom this was a final-year project.