arXiv subjects

Serge Reynaud

Publications and source records attributed to Serge Reynaud.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Negative Casimir Entropies in Nanoparticle Interactions

Negative entropy has been known in Casimir systems for some time. For example, it can occur between parallel metallic plates modeled by a realistic Drude permittivity. Less well known is that negative entropy can occur purely geometrically, say between a perfectly conducting sphere and a conducting plate. The latter effect is most pronounced in the dipole approximation, which is reliable when the size of the sphere is small compared to the separation between the sphere and the plate. Therefore, here we examine cases where negative entropy can occur between two electrically and magnetically polarizable nanoparticles or atoms, which need not be isotropic, and between such a small object and a conducting plate. Negative entropy can occur even between two perfectly conducting spheres, between two electrically polarizable nano-particles if there is sufficient anisotropy, between a perfectly conducting sphere and a Drude sphere,and between a sufficiently anisotropic electrically polarizable nano-particle and a transverse magnetic conducting plate.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Non-markovian polariton dynamics in organic strong coupling

Strongly coupled organic systems are characterized by unusually large Rabi splittings, even in the vacuum state. They show the counter-intuitive feature of a lifetime of the lower polariton state longer than for all other excited states. Here we build up a new theoretical framework to understand the dynamics of such coupled system. In particular, we show that the non-Markovian character of the relaxation of the dressed organic system explains the long lifetime of the lower polariton state.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Quantum Reflection of Antihydrogen in the GBAR Experiment

In the GBAR experiment, cold antihydrogen atoms will be left to fall on an annihilation plate with the aim of measuring the gravitational acceleration of antimatter. Here, we study the quantum reflection of these antiatoms due to the Casimir-Polder potential above the plate. We give realistic estimates of the potential and quantum reflection amplitudes, taking into account the specificities of antihydrogen and the optical properties of the plate. We find that quantum reflection is enhanced for weaker potentials, for example above thin slabs, graphene and nanoporous media.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Shaping the distribution of vertical velocities of antihydrogen in GBAR

GBAR is a project aiming at measuring the free fall acceleration of gravity for antimatter, namely antihydrogen atoms ($\overline{\mathrm{H}}$). Precision of this timing experiment depends crucially on the dispersion of initial vertical velocities of the atoms as well as on the reliable control of their distribution. We propose to use a new method for shaping the distribution of vertical velocities of $\overline{\mathrm{H}}$, which improves these factors simultaneously. The method is based on quantum reflection of elastically and specularly bouncing $\overline{\mathrm{H}}$ with small initial vertical velocity on a bottom mirror disk, and absorption of atoms with large initial vertical velocities on a top rough disk. We estimate statistical and systematic uncertainties, and show that the accuracy for measuring the free fall acceleration $\overline{g}$ of $\overline{\mathrm{H}}$ could be pushed below $10^{-3}$ under realistic experimental conditions.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Experimental demonstration of bias rejection from electrostatic accelerometer measurements

In order to test gravitation in the Solar System, it is necessary to improve the orbit restitution of interplanetary spacecrafts. The addition of an accelerometer on board is a major step toward this goal because this instrument measures the non-gravitational acceleration of the spacecraft. It must be able to perform measurements at low frequencies with no bias to provide an additional observable of interest. Since electrostatic accelerometers suffer a bias, a technological upgrade has been proposed by Onera. It consists in adding to an electrostatic accelerometer a rotating platform which allows modulating the signal of interest and retrieving it without bias after post-processing. Using this principle, a measurement method and a post-processing method have been developed. The objective of this article is to validate these methods experimentally. To do so, a horizontally controlled pendulum was used to apply a known signal to an accelerometer mounted on a rotating platform. The processing of the experimental data demonstrates the ability to make acceleration measurements with no bias. In addition, the experimental precision on the unbiased acceleration obtained after post-processing corresponds to the precision predicted theoretically.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2013

Unbiased acceleration measurements with an electrostatic accelerometer on a rotating platform

The Gravity Advanced Package is an instrument composed of an electrostatic accelerometer called MicroSTAR and a rotating platform called Bias Rejection System. It aims at measuring with no bias the non-gravitational acceleration of a spacecraft. It is envisioned to be embarked on an interplanetary spacecraft as a tool to test the laws of gravitation. MicroSTAR is based on Onera's experience and inherits in orbit technology. The addition of the rotating platform is a technological upgrade which allows using an electrostatic accelerometer to make measurements at low frequencies with no bias. To do so, the Bias Rejection System rotates MicroSTAR such that the signal of interest is separated from the bias of the instrument in the frequency domain. Making these unbiased low-frequency measurements requires post-processing the data. The signal processing technique developed for this purpose is the focus of this article. It allows giving the conditions under which the bias is completely removed from the signal of interest. And the precision of the unbiased measurements can be fully characterized: given the characteristics of the subsystems, it is possible to reach a precision of 1 pm s$^{-2}$ on the non-gravitational acceleration for an integration time of 3 h.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2012

Pairwise summation approximation for Casimir potentials and its limitations

We investigate the error made by the pairwise summation (PWS) approximation in three geometries where the exact formula for the Casimir interaction is known: atom-slab, slab-slab and sphere-slab configurations. For each case the interactions are calculated analytically by summing the van der Waals interactions between the two objects. We show that the PWS result is incorrect even for an infinitely thin slab in the atom-slab configuration, because of local field effects, unless the material is infinitely dilute. In the experimentally relevant case of dielectric materials, in all considered geometries the error made by the PWS approximation is much higher than the well-known value obtained for perfect reflectors in the long-range regime. This error is maximized for permittivities close to the one of Silicon.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2012

Phases and relativity in atomic gravimetry

The phase observable measured by an atomic gravimeter built up on stimulated Raman transitions is discussed in a fully relativistic context. It is written in terms of laser phases which are invariant under relativistic gauge transformations. The dephasing is the sum of light and atomic contributions which are connected to one another through their interplay with conservation laws at the interaction vertices. In the case of a closed geometry, a compact form of the dephasing is written in terms of a Legendre transform of the laser phases. These general expressions are illustrated by discussing two techniques used for compensating the Doppler shift, one corresponding to chirped frequencies and the other one to ramped variations.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2012

OSS (Outer Solar System): A fundamental and planetary physics mission to Neptune, Triton and the Kuiper Belt

The present OSS mission continues a long and bright tradition by associating the communities of fundamental physics and planetary sciences in a single mission with ambitious goals in both domains. OSS is an M-class mission to explore the Neptune system almost half a century after flyby of the Voyager 2 spacecraft. Several discoveries were made by Voyager 2, including the Great Dark Spot (which has now disappeared) and Triton's geysers. Voyager 2 revealed the dynamics of Neptune's atmosphere and found four rings and evidence of ring arcs above Neptune. Benefiting from a greatly improved instrumentation, it will result in a striking advance in the study of the farthest planet of the Solar System. Furthermore, OSS will provide a unique opportunity to visit a selected Kuiper Belt object subsequent to the passage of the Neptunian system. It will consolidate the hypothesis of the origin of Triton as a KBO captured by Neptune, and improve our knowledge on the formation of the Solar system. The probe will embark instruments allowing precise tracking of the probe during cruise. It allows to perform the best controlled experiment for testing, in deep space, the General Relativity, on which is based all the models of Solar system formation. OSS is proposed as an international cooperation between ESA and NASA, giving the capability for ESA to launch an M-class mission towards the farthest planet of the Solar system, and to a Kuiper Belt object. The proposed mission profile would allow to deliver a 500 kg class spacecraft. The design of the probe is mainly constrained by the deep space gravity test in order to minimise the perturbation of the accelerometer measurement.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2012

Classical Casimir interaction in the plane-sphere geometry

We study the Casimir interaction in the plane-sphere geometry in the classical limit of high temperatures. In this limit, the finite conductivity of the metallic plates needs to be taken into account. For the Drude model, the classical Casimir interaction is nevertheless found to be independent of the conductivity so that it can be described by a single universal function depending only on the aspect ratio $x=L/R$ where $L$ is the interplate distance and $R$ the sphere radius. This universal function differs from the one found for perfect reflectors and is in principle amenable to experimental tests. The asymptotic approach of the exact result to the Proximity Force Approximation appears to be well fitted by polynomial expansions in $\ln x$.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2012

The Casimir effect in the sphere-plane geometry

We present calculations of the Casimir interaction between a sphere and a plane, using a multipolar expansion of the scattering formula. This configuration enables us to study the nontrivial dependence of the Casimir force on the geometry, and its correlations with the effects of imperfect reflection and temperature. The accuracy of the Proximity Force Approximation (PFA) is assessed, and is shown to be affected by imperfect reflexion. Our analytical and numerical results at ambient temperature show a rich variety of interplays between the effects of curvature, temperature, finite conductivity, and dissipation.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2012

Reply to the comment on: "Does an atom interferometer test the gravitational redshift at the Compton frequency?"

Hohensee, Chu, Peters and Müller have submitted a comment (arXiv:1112.6039 [gr-qc]) on our paper "Does an atom interferometer test the gravitational redshift at the Compton frequency?", Classical and Quantum Gravity 28, 145017 (2011), arXiv:1009.2485 [gr-qc]. Here we reply to this comment and show that the main result of our paper, namely that atom interferometric gravimeters do not test the gravitational redshift at the Compton frequency, remains valid.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2011

Casimir Effect : Theory and Experiments

The Casimir effect is a crucial prediction of Quantum Field Theory which has fascinating connections with open questions in fundamental physics. The ideal formula written by Casimir does not describe real experiments and it has to be generalized by taking into account the effects of imperfect reflection, thermal fluctuations, geometry as well as the corrections coming from surface physics. We discuss these developments in Casimir physics and give the current status in the comparison between theory and experiment after years of improvements in measurements as well as theory.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Measuring the absolute non-gravitational acceleration of a spacecraft: goals, devices, methods, performances

Space provides unique opportunities to test gravitation. By using an interplanetary spacecraft as a test mass, it is possible to test General Relativity at the Solar System distance scale. This requires to compute accurately the trajectory of the spacecraft, a process which relies on radio tracking and is limited by the uncertainty on the spacecraft non-gravitational acceleration. The Gravity Advanced Package (GAP) is designed to measure the non-gravitational acceleration without bias. It is composed of an electrostatic accelerometer supplemented by a rotating stage. This article presents the instrument and its performances, and describes the method to make unbiased measurements. Finally, it addresses briefly the improvement brought by the instrument as far as orbit reconstruction is concerned.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2011

Atom interferometry and the Einstein equivalence principle

The computation of the phase shift in a symmetric atom interferometer in the presence of a gravitational field is reviewed. The difference of action-phase integrals between the two paths of the interferometer is zero for any Lagrangian which is at most quadratic in position and velocity. We emphasize that in a large class of theories of gravity the atom interferometer permits a test of the weak version of the equivalence principle (or universality of free fall) by comparing the acceleration of atoms with that of ordinary bodies, but is insensitive to that aspect of the equivalence principle known as the gravitational redshift or universality of clock rates.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2011

Casimir Effect : Optomechanics in Quantum Vacuum

The Casimir effect results from the optomechanical coupling between field fluctuations and mirrors in quantum vacuum. This contribution to the 20th International Conference on Laser Spectroscopy (ICOLS 2011) discusses the current status in the comparison between theory and experiments.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Electrostatic accelerometer with bias rejection for deep space gravitation tests

The trajectory of an interplanetary spacecraft can be used to test gravitation in the Solar System. Its determination relies on radio tracking and is limited by the uncertainty on the spacecraft non-gravitational acceleration. The addition of an accelerometer on board provides another observable which measures the departure of the probe from geodesic motion. Such a concept has been proposed for the OSS mission which embarks the Gravity Advanced Package. This instrument, which is the focus of this article, is designed to make unbiased acceleration measurements.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2011

Electrostatic accelerometer with bias rejection for Gravitation and Solar System physics

Radio tracking of interplanetary probes is an important tool for navigation purposes as well as for testing the laws of physics or exploring planetary environments. The addition of an accelerometer on board a spacecraft provides orbit determination specialists and physicists with an additional observable of great interest: it measures the value of the non-gravitational acceleration acting on the spacecraft, i.e. the departure of the probe from geodesic motion. This technology is now routinely used for geodesy missions in Earth orbits with electrostatic accelerometers. This article proposes a technological evolution which consists in adding a subsystem to remove the bias of an electrostatic accelerometer. It aims at enhancing the scientific return of interplanetary missions in the Solar System, from the point of view of fundamental physics as well as Solar System physics. The main part of the instrument is an electrostatic accelerometer called MicroSTAR, which inherits mature technologies based on Onera's experience in the field of accelerometry. This accelerometer is mounted on a rotating stage, called Bias Rejection System, which modulates the non-gravitational acceleration and thus permits to remove the bias of the instrument from the signal of interest. This article presents the motivations of this study, describes the instrument, called GAP, and the measurement principle, and discusses the performance of the instrument as well as integration constraints. Within a mass of 3.1 kg and an average consumption of 3 W, it is possible to reach a precision of 1 pm s$^{-2}$ for the acceleration measured with an integration time of five hours. Combining this observable with the radio tracking data, it is therefore possible to compare the motion of the spacecraft to theoretical predictions with a precision improved by at least three orders of magnitude with respect to existing techniques.

physics.ins-det↗