arXiv · 1511.03973
Casimir effect and quantum reflection
Abstract
The GBAR experiment will time the free fall of cold antihydrogen atoms dropped onto an annihilation plate to test the universality of free fall on antimatter. In this contribution, we study the quantum reflection of the anti-atom resulting from the Casimir-Polder attraction to the plate. We evaluate the Casimir-Polder potential and the associated quantum reflection amplitudes and find that reflection is enhanced for weaker potentials. A Liouville transformation of the Schrödinger equation is used to map the quantum reflection problem onto an equivalent problem of scattering on a barrier, leading to an intuitive understanding of the phenomenon.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Explore connections, maps & timelines
Gabriel Dufour, Romain Guérout, Astrid Lambrecht, Serge Reynaud. 2015-11-12. Casimir effect and quantum reflection. https://arxiv.org/abs/1511.03973
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.