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arXiv · 1603.00233

Damped vacuum states of light

T. G. Philbin
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Abstract

We consider one-dimensional propagation of quantum light in the presence of a block of material, with a full account of dispersion and absorption. The electromagnetic zero-point energy for some frequencies is damped (suppressed) by the block below the free-space value, while for other frequencies it is increased. We also calculate the regularized (Casimir) zero-point energy at each frequency and find that it too is damped below the free-space value (zero) for some frequencies. The total Casimir energy is positive.

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T. G. Philbin. 2016-06-13. Damped vacuum states of light. https://doi.org/10.1088/2040-8978%2F18%2F9%2F095201

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