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1. Recent progress in engineering the Casimir effect – applications to nanophotonics, nanomechanics, and chemistry

   https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2020-0425  

   Gong, Tao; Corrado, Matthew R.; Mahbub, Ahmed R.; Shelden, Calum; Munday, Jeremy N. (September 2020, Nanophotonics)

   null (Ed.)

   Abstract Quantum optics combines classical electrodynamics with quantum mechanics to describe how light interacts with material on the nanoscale, and many of the tricks and techniques used in nanophotonics can be extended to this quantum realm. Specifically, quantum vacuum fluctuations of electromagnetic fields experience boundary conditions that can be tailored by the nanoscopic geometry and dielectric properties of the involved materials. These quantum fluctuations give rise to a plethora of phenomena ranging from spontaneous emission to the Casimir effect, which can all be controlled and manipulated by changing the boundary conditions for the fields. Here, we focus on several recent developments in modifying the Casimir effect and related phenomena, including the generation of torques and repulsive forces, creation of photons from vacuum, modified chemistry, and engineered material functionality, as well as future directions and applications for nanotechnology. 

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2. Probability distribution for vacuum energy flux fluctuations in two spacetime dimensions

   https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.111.085015  

   Fewster, Christopher J; Ford, L H (April 2025, Physical Review D)

   The probability distribution for vacuum fluctuations of the energy flux in two dimensions is constructed, along with the joint distribution of energy flux and energy density. Our approach is based on previous work on probability distributions for the energy density in two-dimensional conformal field theory. In both cases, the relevant stress tensor component must be averaged in time, and the results are sensitive to the form of the averaging function. Here we present results for two classes of such functions, which include the Gaussian and Lorentzian functions. The distribution for the energy flux is symmetric, unlike that for the energy density. In both cases, the distribution may possess an integrable singularity. The functional form of the flux distribution function involves a modified Bessel function and is distinct from the shifted Gamma form for the energy density. By considering the joint distribution of energy flux and energy density, we show that the distribution of energy flux tends to be more centrally concentrated than that of the energy density. We also determine the distribution of energy fluxes, conditioned on the energy density being negative. Some applications of the results are also discussed. 

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3. Quantum fluctuations of fields and stress tensors

   https://doi.org/10.1142/S0217751X22410135  

   Ford, L. H. (July 2022, International Journal of Modern Physics A)

   This is a review of recent work on quantum fluctuations of the electric field and of stress tensor operators and their physical effects. The probability distribution for vacuum fluctuations of the electric field is Gaussian, but that for quadratic operators, such as the energy density, can have a more slowly decreasing tail, leading to an enhanced probability of large fluctuations. This effect is very sensitive to the details of how the measurement is performed. Some possible physical effects of these large fluctuations will be discussed. 

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4. Minkowski vacuum entanglement and accelerated oscillator chains

   https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.111.045022  

   Svidzinsky, Anatoly A; Scully, Marlan O; Unruh, William (February 2025, Physical Review D)

   Minkowski vacuum is empty from the perspective of Unruh-Minkowski photons, however, in the Rindler picture, it is filled with entangled pairs of Rindler photons. A ground-state atom uniformly accelerated through Minkowski vacuum can become excited by absorbing a Rindler photon (Unruh effect) or, in the alternative description, by emitting an Unruh-Minkowski photon (Unruh-Wald effect). We find an exact solution for the quantum evolution of a long chain of harmonic oscillators accelerated through Minkowski vacuum and for two chains accelerated in the opposite directions. We show how entanglement of Rindler photons present in Minkowski vacuum is transferred to the oscillators moving in causally disconnected regions. We also show that in the Unruh-Minkowski photon picture the process can be interpreted as if initial correlations between collective oscillator modes are transferred to the generated Unruh-Minkowski photons. 

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5. Demonstration of Vacuum Strain Effects on a Light-Collection Lens Used in Optical Polarimetry

   Trantham, K.W.; Foreman, K.D.; Gay, T.J. (March 2020, Applied optics)

   The precision by which an electron spin polarization measurement can be made using a noble-gas polarimeter depends directly on the accuracy of a light-polarization measurement. Since the electron–noble gas collisions occur in a vacuum chamber and the optical polarimeter is generally outside the chamber, this work examines the effect the vacuum window has on the perceived optical polarization. A model light source, lens system, and optical polarimeter are used that approximate the situation found in a typical atomic physics experiment. It was demonstrated that a pressure difference of 1 atm on a lens will alter the perceived polarization by as much as 0.05% with typical borosilicate (BK) lenses. This effect was demonstrated to scale with the thickness of the lens used and changes signs when the direction of the stress is reversed. 

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