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Coupled Friction Effects of Dirac sea and Electromagnetic Vacuum on Atomic movements


Thesis topic details

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/