General information
Organisation
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.
Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.
The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
Reference
SL-DRF-26-0012
Direction
DRF
Thesis topic details
Category
Theoretical physics
Thesis topics
Coupled Friction Effects of Dirac sea and Electromagnetic Vacuum on Atomic movements
Contract
Thèse
Job description
Quantum fluctuations induce conservative macroscopic forces such as the Casimir effect. They could also cause dissipative forces, termed vacuum (or quantum) friction. Up to now, this friction effect has been calculated with consideration of the electromagnetic fluctuations only, i.e. without taking into account the Dirac Sea. This project is devoted to the extension of our research in this direction: electrons, as main contributors of the matter-field interaction, also interact with electron-positron virtual pairs in the quantum vacuum. How much of quantum friction, at zero or finite vacuum temperature, could be due to this type of interaction? A first step will be adapting the present semi-classical framework to include vacuum polarization and pair creation. In doing so, one will encounter finite frequency cut-offs, traditionally linked to virtual pair creation; thus one will determine a friction component linked with the finite cut-off of Fourier integrals. On this research path, one shall pay attention to maintaining the mathematical coherence of the whole framework. A longer-term goal remains a complete and consistent quantum relativistic treatment of quantum friction at the atomic level.
University / doctoral school
Physique en Île-de-France (EDPIF)
Paris-Saclay
Thesis topic location
Site
Saclay
Requester
Position start date
01/09/2026
Person to be contacted by the applicant
BERCEGOL Hervé
herve.bercegol@cea.fr
CEA
DRF/IRAMIS/SPEC/SPHYNX
L’Orme des Merisiers - bat 772
CEA Saclay
91191 Gif sur Yvette
0617912479
Tutor / Responsible thesis director
BERCEGOL Hervé
herve.bercegol@cea.fr
CEA
DRF/IRAMIS/SPEC/SPHYNX
L’Orme des Merisiers - bat 772
CEA Saclay
91191 Gif sur Yvette
0617912479
En savoir plus
https://iramis.cea.fr/pisp/herve-bercegol-francais/
https://iramis.cea.fr/spec/sphynx/