University of Sussex
Browse
PhysRevLett.92.233602_(1).pdf (99.93 kB)

Inadequacy of perfect-reflector models in cavity QED for systems with low-frequency excitations

Download (99.93 kB)
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 10:06 authored by Claudia Eberlein, Dieter Robaschik
It is shown that the model of perfectly reflecting boundaries widely employed in cavity QED is unsuitable for systems that have long-wavelength excitations. A prime example is a free charged particle near a reflecting wall. Modeling the wall as perfectly reflecting from the outset ignores evanescent waves that couple to the particle through virtual excitations at low energies, which can lead to errors in order of magnitude and even sign. The example of a free electron near an imperfectly reflecting wall characterized by a constant frequency-independent refractive index n is investigated in detail by determining its energy shift relative to an electron in vacuum through both nonrelativistic and relativistic calculations.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Physical Review Letters

ISSN

0031-9007

Issue

23

Volume

92

Page range

233602

Department affiliated with

  • Physics and Astronomy Publications

Notes

The paper shows that for some systems the cavity-QED model of a perfectly reflecting boundary does in fact not represent any experimentally realizable situation. The work was initiated by me and carried out in collaboration with a visiting guest professor from Germany.

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2012-02-06

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2016-03-22

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2017-03-14

Usage metrics

    University of Sussex (Publications)

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC