Vacuum fluctuations and moving atoms/detectors: From Casimir-Polder to Unruh effect

In this note we report on some new results \cite{SHP} on corrections to the Casimir-Polder \cite{caspol} retardation force due to atomic motion and present a preliminary (unpublished) critique on one recently proposed cavity QED detection scheme of Unruh effect \cite{Unr76}. These two well-known effects arise from the interaction between a moving atom or detector with a quantum field under some boundary conditions introduced by a conducting mirror/cavity or dielectric wall. The Casimir-Polder force is a retardation force on the atom due to the dressing of the atomic ground state by the vacuum electromagnetic field in the presence of a conducting mirror or dielectric wall. We have recently provided an improved calculation by treating the mutual influence of the atom and the (constrained) field in a self-consistent way. For an atom moving adiabatically, perpendicular to a mirror, our result finds a coherent retardation correction up to twice the stationary value. Unruh effect refers loosely to the fact that a uniformly accelerated detector feels hot. Two prior schemes have been proposed for the detection of `Unruh radiation', based on charged particles in linear accelerators and storage rings. Here we are interested in a third scheme proposed recently by Scully {\it et al} \cite{Scully03} involving the injection of accelerated atoms into a microwave or optical cavity. We analyze two main factors instrumental to the purported success in this scheme, the cavity factor and the sudden switch-on factor. We conclude that the effects engendered from these factors are unrelated to the Unruh effect.Comment: to appear in J. of Optics B -- condensed matte

Прогнозирование временного сопротивления разрыву малоуглеродистой низколегированной арматурной стали на основе системы частных регрессионных моделей

Предложен способ декомпозиции многофакторной регрессионной модели прогнозирования механических свойств арматурного проката. Обоснована система частных регрессионных моделей прогнозирования временного сопротивления разрыву арматурного проката. Показано, что полученные результаты хорошо согласуются с экспериментальными данными

Quantum recoil effects in finite-time disentanglement of two distinguishable atoms

Starting from the requirement of distinguishability of two atoms by their positions, it is shown that photon recoil has a strong influence on finite-time disentanglement and in some cases prevents its appearance. At near-field inter atomic distances well localized atoms, with maximally one atom being initially excited, may suffer disentanglement at a single finite time or even at a series of equidistant finite times, depending on their mean inter atomic distance and their initial electronic preparation.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figure, submitted to Physical Review on august 2

Deconvolution of pro- and antiviral genomic responses in Zika virus-infected and bystander macrophages.

Genome-wide investigations of host-pathogen interactions are often limited by analyses of mixed populations of infected and uninfected cells, which lower sensitivity and accuracy. To overcome these obstacles and identify key mechanisms by which Zika virus (ZIKV) manipulates host responses, we developed a system that enables simultaneous characterization of genome-wide transcriptional and epigenetic changes in ZIKV-infected and neighboring uninfected primary human macrophages. We demonstrate that transcriptional responses in ZIKV-infected macrophages differed radically from those in uninfected neighbors and that studying the cell population as a whole produces misleading results. Notably, the uninfected population of macrophages exhibits the most rapid and extensive changes in gene expression, related to type I IFN signaling. In contrast, infected macrophages exhibit a delayed and attenuated transcriptional response distinguished by preferential expression of IFNB1 at late time points. Biochemical and genomic studies of infected macrophages indicate that ZIKV infection causes both a targeted defect in the type I IFN response due to degradation of STAT2 and reduces RNA polymerase II protein levels and DNA occupancy, particularly at genes required for macrophage identity. Simultaneous evaluation of transcriptomic and epigenetic features of infected and uninfected macrophages thereby reveals the coincident evolution of dominant proviral or antiviral mechanisms, respectively, that determine the outcome of ZIKV exposure

Moving Atom-Field Interaction: Correction to Casimir-Polder Effect from Coherent Back-action

The Casimir-Polder force is an attractive force between a polarizable atom and a conducting or dielectric boundary. Its original computation was in terms of the Lamb shift of the atomic ground state in an electromagnetic field (EMF) modified by boundary conditions along the wall and assuming a stationary atom. We calculate the corrections to this force due to a moving atom, demanding maximal preservation of entanglement generated by the moving atom-conducting wall system. We do this by using non-perturbative path integral techniques which allow for coherent back-action and thus can treat non-Markovian processes. We recompute the atom-wall force for a conducting boundary by allowing the bare atom-EMF ground state to evolve (or self-dress) into the interacting ground state. We find a clear distinction between the cases of stationary and adiabatic motions. Our result for the retardation correction for adiabatic motion is up to twice as much as that computed for stationary atoms. We give physical interpretations of both the stationary and adiabatic atom-wall forces in terms of alteration of the virtual photon cloud surrounding the atom by the wall and the Doppler effect.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figures, clarified discussions; to appear in Phys. Rev.