Casimir-Polder interaction in second quantization [Elektronische Ressource] / Jürgen Schiefele. Betreuer: Carsten Henkel

Universitat¨ PotsdamInstitut fur¨ Physik und AstronomieCasimir-Polder interaction insecond quantizationDissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Gradesdoctor rerum naturalium (Dr. rer. nat.) in der Wissen-schaftsdisziplin theoretische Physik. Eingereicht am21. Marz¨ 2011 an der Mathematisch – Naturwissen-schaftlichen Fakultat¨ der Universitat¨ Potsdam vonJur¨ gen SchiefeleBetreuer:PD Dr. Carsten HenkelThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License: Attribution - Noncommercial - Share Alike 3.0 Germany To view a copy of this license visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/de/ Published online at the Institutional Repository of the University of Potsdam: URL http://opus.kobv.de/ubp/volltexte/2011/5417/ URN urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-54171 http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-54171 AbstractThe Casimir-Polder interaction between a single neutral atom and a nearby surface, arisingfrom the (quantum and thermal) fluctuations of the electromagnetic field, is a cornerstoneof cavity quantum electrodynamics (cQED), and theoretically well established. Recently,Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) of ultracold atoms have been used to test the predic-tions of cQED. The purpose of the present thesis is to upgrade single-atom cQED withthe many-body theory needed to describe trapped atomic BECs.