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Van der Waals–Casimir–Polder interaction of an atom with a composite surface

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Abstract

We study the dispersion interaction of the van der Waals and Casimir–Polder (vdW-CP) type between a neutral atom and the surface of a conductor by allowing for nonlocal electrodynamics, i.e. electron diffusion. We consider two models: (i) bulk diffusion, and (ii) diffusion in a surface charge layer. In both cases, we find that the transition to a semiconductor as a function of the conductivity is continuous, unlike the case of a local model. The relevant parameter is the electric screening length and depends on the carrier diffusion constant. We find that for distances comparable to the screening length, vdW-CP data can distinguish between bulk and surface diffusion, hence it can be a sensitive probe for surface states.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physics Department, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel

    E. Eizner & B. Horovitz

  2. Institute of Physics and Astronomy, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany

    C. Henkel

Authors
  1. E. Eizner
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  2. B. Horovitz
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  3. C. Henkel
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Correspondence to C. Henkel.

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Eizner, E., Horovitz, B. & Henkel, C. Van der Waals–Casimir–Polder interaction of an atom with a composite surface. Eur. Phys. J. D 66, 321 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2012-30294-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2012-30294-x

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