Quantum dissipative Brownian motion and the Casimir effect

Gert-Ludwig Ingold, Astrid Lambrecht, and Serge Reynaud
Phys. Rev. E 80, 041113 – Published 8 October 2009

Abstract

We explore an analogy between the thermodynamics of a free dissipative quantum particle in one dimension and that of an electromagnetic field between two mirrors of finite conductivity. While a free particle isolated from its environment will effectively be in the high-temperature limit for any nonvanishing temperature, a finite coupling to the environment leads to quantum effects ensuring the correct low-temperature behavior. Even then, it is found that under appropriate circumstances the entropy can be a nonmonotonic function of the temperature. Such a scenario with its specific dependence on the ratio of temperature and damping constant also appears for the transverse electric mode in the Casimir effect. The limits of vanishing dissipation for the quantum particle and of infinite conductivity of the mirrors in the Casimir effect both turn out to be noncontinuous.

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  • Received 6 May 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.80.041113

©2009 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Gert-Ludwig Ingold1,2, Astrid Lambrecht2, and Serge Reynaud2

  • 1Institut für Physik, Universität Augsburg, D-86135 Augsburg, Germany
  • 2Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, CNRS, ENS, UPMC, Campus Jussieu Case 74, F-75252 Paris Cedex 05, France

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Vol. 80, Iss. 4 — October 2009

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