Abstract
The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, we compare, in detail, the derivation of the Casimir-Polder interaction using time-ordered perturbation theory, to the matching of the scattering amplitude using quantum electrodynamics. In the first case, a total of twelve time-ordered diagrams need to be considered, while in the second case, one encounters only two Feynman diagrams, namely, the ladder and crossed-ladder contributions. For ground-state interactions, we match the contribution of six of the time-ordered diagrams against the corresponding Feynman diagrams, showing the consistency of the two approaches. Second, we also examine the leading radiative correction to the long-range interaction, which is of relative order O(α3). In doing so, we uncover logarithmic terms, in both the interatomic distance as well as the fine-structure constant, in higher-order corrections to the Casimir-Polder interaction.
Recommended Citation
C. M. Adhikari and U. D. Jentschura, "Close Examination of the Ground-State Casimir-Polder Interaction: Time-Ordered Versus Covariant Formalism and Radiative Corrections," Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, vol. 51, no. 21, article no. 215002, IOP Publishing, Oct 2018.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6455/aae225
Department(s)
Physics
Keywords and Phrases
Casimir-Polder interactions; covariant formalism; propagator denominator; radiative corrections; scattering matrix; time-ordered perturbation theory
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
1361-6455; 0953-4075
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2024 IOP Publishing, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
16 Oct 2018
Comments
National Science Foundation, Grant PHY-1710856