各向异性磁电介质量子真空水平上的动量转移

Momentum transfer at quantum-vacuum level inside an anisotropic magnetoelectric medium

通过计算各向异性磁电材料内电磁场模式的本征方程研究了任意方向量子真空模式对磁电材料动量转移总贡献,并指出介质由真空动量转移所获得速度可以由目前发展起来的光纤光学传感器(能测量纳米量级速度)所探测.对该量子真空宏观力学效应的物理机理与潜在应用也做了讨论.

The breaking of universal symmetry of electromagnetic field distribution in an anisotropic magnetoelectric material will give rise to nonzero vacuum momentum. This may lead to the transfer of momentum between the anisotropic quantum vacuum and the magnetoelectric material. Very recently, Feigel considered the quantum vacuum contribution to the momentum transfer effect [Phys. Rev. Lett. 92 （2004） 020404]. An alternative approach is proposed based on the eigenvector equation of electromagnetic field to calculate the total mechanical contribution of all anisotropic quantum-vacuum modes to the material momentum. It is suggested that the said macroscopic mechanical effect of quantum vacuum on the anisotropic material can be detected by current technology （ e. g. fiber optical sensor）, which can measure nanoscale velocity. Physical mechanism of such quantum vacuum effects and potential applications are discussed.