Time-Dependent Effective Hamiltonians for Light-Matter Interactions.

In this paper, we present a systematic approach to building useful time-dependent effective Hamiltonians in molecular quantum electrodynamics. The method is based on considering part of the system as an open quantum system and choosing a convenient unitary transformation based on the evolution operator. We illustrate our formalism by obtaining four Hamiltonians, each suitable to a different class of applications.

Multipole Approach to the Dynamical Casimir Effect with Finite-Size Scatterers.

A mirror subjected to a fast mechanical oscillation emits photons out of the quantum vacuum-a phenomenon known as the dynamical Casimir effect (DCE). The mirror is usually treated as an infinite metallic surface. Here, we show that, in realistic experimental conditions (mirror size and oscillation frequency), this assumption is inadequate and drastically overestimates the DCE radiation.

Universal Casimir Interaction between Two Dielectric Spheres in Salted Water.

We study the Casimir interaction between two dielectric spheres immersed in a salted solution at distances larger than the Debye screening length. The long distance behavior is dominated by the nonscreened interaction due to low-frequency transverse magnetic thermal fluctuations. It shows universality properties in its dependence on geometric dimensions and independence of dielectric functions of the particles, with these properties related to approximate conformal invariance.

Quantum Vacuum Sagnac Effect.

We report on the quantum electrodynamical analog of a Sagnac phase induced by the fast rotation of a neutral nanoparticle onto atomic waves propagating in its vicinity. The quantum vacuum Sagnac phase is a geometric Berry phase proportional to the angular velocity of rotation. The persistence of a noninertial effect into the inertial frame is also analogous to the Aharonov-Bohm effect.

Theory of optical tweezing of dielectric microspheres in chiral host media and its applications.

We report for the first time the theory of optical tweezers of spherical dielectric particles embedded in a chiral medium. We develop a partial-wave (Mie) expansion to calculate the optical force acting on a dielectric microsphere illuminated by a circularly-polarized, highly focused laser beam. When choosing a polarization with the same handedness of the medium, the axial trap stability is improved, thus allowing for tweezing of high-refractive-index particles.

Plane-wave approach to the exact van der Waals interaction between colloid particles.

The numerically exact evaluation of the van der Waals interaction, also known as Casimir interaction when including retardation effects, constitutes a challenging task. We present a new approach based on the plane-wave basis and demonstrate that it possesses advantages over the more commonly used multipole basis. The rotational symmetry of the plane-sphere and sphere-sphere geometries can be exploited by means of a discrete Fourier transform.

Enantioselective manipulation of single chiral nanoparticles using optical tweezers.

We put forward an enantioselective method for chiral nanoparticles using optical tweezers. We demonstrate that the optical trapping force in a typical, realistic optical tweezing setup with circularly-polarized trapping beams is sensitive to the chirality of core-shell nanoparticles, allowing for efficient enantioselection. It turns out that the handedness of the trapped particles can be selected by choosing the appropriate circular polarization of the trapping beam.

Plasma versus Drude Modeling of the Casimir Force: Beyond the Proximity Force Approximation.

We calculate the Casimir force and its gradient between a spherical and a planar gold surface. Significant numerical improvements allow us to extend the range of accessible parameters into the experimental regime. We compare our numerically exact results with those obtained within the proximity force approximation (PFA) employed in the analysis of all Casimir force experiments reported in the literature so far.

Exact Theory of Optical Tweezers and Its Application to Absolute Calibration.

Optical tweezers have become a powerful tool for basic and applied research in cell biology. Here, we describe an experimentally verified theory for the trapping forces generated by optical tweezers based on first principles that allows absolute calibration. For pedagogical reasons, the steps that led to the development of the theory over the past 15 years are outlined.

Disentangling geometric and dissipative origins of negative Casimir entropies.

Dissipative electromagnetic response and scattering geometry are potential sources for the appearance of a negative Casimir entropy. We show that the dissipative contribution familiar from the plane-plane geometry appears also in the plane-sphere and the sphere-sphere geometries and adds to the negative Casimir entropy known to exist in these geometries even for perfectly reflecting objects. Taking the sphere-sphere geometry as an example, we carry out a scattering-channel analysis, which allows us to distinguish between the contributions of different polarizations.

Probing quantum-vacuum geometrical effects with cold atoms.

The lateral Casimir-Polder force between an atom and a corrugated surface should allow one to study experimentally nontrivial geometrical effects in the electromagnetic quantum vacuum. Here, we derive the theoretical expression of this force in the scattering approach. We show that large corrections to the "proximity force approximation" could be measured using present-day technology with a Bose-Einstein condensate used as a vacuum field sensor.

Lateral Casimir force beyond the proximity-force approximation.

We argue that the appropriate variable to study a nontrivial geometry dependence of the Casimir force is the lateral component of the Casimir force, which we evaluate between two corrugated metallic plates outside the validity of the proximity-force approximation. The metallic plates are described by the plasma model, with arbitrary values for the plasma wavelength, the plate separation, and the corrugation period, the corrugation amplitude remaining the smallest length scale. Our analysis shows that in realistic experimental situations the proximity-force approximation overestimates the force by up to 30%.