• Rapid Communication

Lateral interatomic dispersion forces

Pablo Barcellona, Robert Bennett, and Stefan Yoshi Buhmann
Phys. Rev. A 102, 020802(R) – Published 31 August 2020
PDFHTMLExport Citation

Abstract

Van der Waals forces between atoms and molecules are universally assumed to act along the line separating them. Inspired by recent works on effects which can propel atoms parallel to a macroscopic surface via the Casimir-Polder force, we predict a lateral van der Waals force between two atoms, one of which is in an excited state with nonzero angular momentum and the other is isotropic and in its ground state. The resulting force acts in the same way as a planetary gear, in contrast to the rack-and-pinion motion predicted in works on the lateral Casimir-Polder force in the analogous case, for which the force predicted here is the microscopic origin. We illustrate the effect by predicting the trajectories of an excited caesium in the vicinity of ground-state rubidium, finding behavior qualitatively different to that if lateral forces are ignored.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 27 April 2020
  • Revised 1 August 2020
  • Accepted 3 August 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.102.020802

©2020 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Atomic, Molecular & Optical

Authors & Affiliations

Pablo Barcellona1,*, Robert Bennett1,2, and Stefan Yoshi Buhmann1

  • 1Physikalisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Straße 3, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
  • 2School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, United Kingdom

  • *pablo.barcellona@gmail.com

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

Supplemental Material (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 102, Iss. 2 — August 2020

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review A

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×