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Main Authors: Milton, Kimball A., Pourtolami, Nima, Kennedy, Gerard
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.14274
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author Milton, Kimball A.
Pourtolami, Nima
Kennedy, Gerard
author_facet Milton, Kimball A.
Pourtolami, Nima
Kennedy, Gerard
contents This article summarizes our recent efforts to understand spontaneous quantum vacuum forces and torques, which require that a stationary object be out of thermal equilibrium with the blackbody background radiation. We proceed by a systematic expansion in powers of the electric susceptibility. In first order, no spontaneous force can arise, although a torque can appear, but only if the body is composed of nonreciprocal material. In second order, both forces and torques can appear, with ordinary materials, but only if the body is inhomogeneous. In higher orders, this last requirement may be removed. We give a number of examples of bodies displaying second-order spontaneous forces and torques, some of which might be amenable to observation.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_14274
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Quantum Vacuum Self-Propulsion and Torque
Milton, Kimball A.
Pourtolami, Nima
Kennedy, Gerard
Quantum Physics
High Energy Physics - Theory
This article summarizes our recent efforts to understand spontaneous quantum vacuum forces and torques, which require that a stationary object be out of thermal equilibrium with the blackbody background radiation. We proceed by a systematic expansion in powers of the electric susceptibility. In first order, no spontaneous force can arise, although a torque can appear, but only if the body is composed of nonreciprocal material. In second order, both forces and torques can appear, with ordinary materials, but only if the body is inhomogeneous. In higher orders, this last requirement may be removed. We give a number of examples of bodies displaying second-order spontaneous forces and torques, some of which might be amenable to observation.
title Quantum Vacuum Self-Propulsion and Torque
topic Quantum Physics
High Energy Physics - Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.14274