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Macroscopic quantum electrodynamics in absorbing media provides a unified framework for studying fluctuation-induced forces such as dispersion forces between atoms and/or bodies. Forces between in free space can be expressed in terms of atomic polarisabilities, body permittivities and the Green tensor for the electromagnetic field. To extend the macroscopic description to particles embedded in a medium, local-field corrections must be accounted for and effective polarisabilties have to be introduced.
The dynamics of dispersion forces can best be studied on the basis of the quantum Lorentz force. This is demonstrated by considering the quantum friction force experienced by ground-state or excited atoms as the move parallel to a plane metal surface. |
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