Topic: QED fluctuations and fractal objects
One of the most striking predictions of quantum physics is the interaction of the electromagnetic vacuum with atoms and macroscopic bodies. Spectacular manifes- tations of this interaction are Casimir forces. Enormous progress in force sensing techniques and the fabrication of nano-structures have highlighted impressively the practical relevance of this quantum effect. Surface roughness however modifies the force and this effect is not properly understood. The power spectra of engineering surfaces have been found to obey inverse power laws over a wide range of length scales. This is an inherent property of fractal geometries. The decay of the Casimir force with surface distance is controlled by surface dimension and characteristic length scales of the geomtery. Hence the important question arises if the force it- self decays with fractional exponents when the surafce topography contains a broad bandwidth of length scales.
Recently, our group has developed an approach to efficiently and accurately compute Casimir forces within current experimental resolution for arbitrary shapes and materials. Our method involves a new level of abstraction as it treats wave scatterings within an isolated object on an equal footing as scatterings between different objects. This project aims at advancing our understanding of fluctuation- induced interactions beyond simple additive approximations for fractal structures. Possible research directions include atom-surface interactions and ctuation forces in interlocking configurations of nano-structures.
This project is directed to students with a strong background in quantitative methods from statistical physics.
There exists the possibility for research visits at MIT in Boston within a collaboration on this project.
To apply, please navigate to the website of the Doctoral School: https://www.edpif.org/en/recrutement/prop.php