2016/04/11 by F. Intravaia, Intravaia, F.
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Mathematical Theories and Applications #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #FOS: Physical sciences #General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc) #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #Quantum Physics (quant-ph) #Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1604.02990
openalex publication_date 2016/04/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
In quantum theory the vacuum is defined as a state of minimum energy that is devoid of particles but still not completely empty. It is perhaps more surprising that its definition depends on the geometry of the system and on the trajectory of an observer through space-time. Along these lines we investigate the case of an atom flying at constant velocity near a planar surface. Using general concepts of statistical mechanics it is shown that the motion-modified interaction with the electromagnetic vacuum is formally equivalent to the interaction with a thermal field having an effective temperature determined by the atom's velocity and distance from the surface. This result suggests new ways to experimentally investigate the properties of the quantum vacuum in non-equilibrium systems and effects such as quantum friction.