A quantum top in a Casimir-induced quadrupole field
Name
773356217-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
1.86 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
e15d371be5ef4d21c8a59efd10b810ea
Author(s)
Fitzgerald, Eric Andrew Vitus
Advisor(s)
Robert L. Jaffe.
Alternative Title
Casimir effect on a quantum top
Date Issued
2011
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
The Casimir energy is the change in energy of a configuration of objects due to second quantization of the electromagnetic field. The Casimir energy of a dielectric object inside a perfectly conducting sphere was recently analyzed [1]. Building on this result, I calculate the changes in energy levels of a quantum top inside a cavity after promoting the Casimir energy to a quantum Hamiltonian. I apply the result to a diatomic molecule and find the changes in the spectroscopy induced by the Casimir effect. This can potentially provide an additional experimental probe into the Casimir effect.
Description
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2011.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 37-38).
Subjects
Physics.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
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