Quantum non-contact friction in resonant dielectric media
Name
930616254-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
4.82 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
ccf9c1ac9e3015f4b45c7d17e175685d
Author(s)
Flynn, Michael O
Advisor(s)
Mehran Kardar.
Date Issued
2015
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
We compute the non-contact friction force induced between two isotropic planar dielectric slabs which obey a plasma model dielectric function using scalar electromagnetism. All computations are carried out at zero temperature. Strong constraints on the integration parameters which define the friction force are derived and subsequently used for a variety of numerical computations. In the limit of large dielectric separations, a saddle point approximation is used to show that the dielectric function is approximately constant in this limit. In the limit of small dielectric separations, a distinct set of integer power laws unique to the plasma model are found. These are then shown to correspond to an elastic limit for the friction force. Finally, these power laws yield a natural maximization condition for the friction which provides an interesting contrast to the behaviors observed in friction computations involving dielectric slabs with constant dielectric functions.
Description
Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Physics, 2015.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 65-66).
Subjects
Physics.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
Terms of Use
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