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Nonequilibrium quantum fluctuations of a dispersive medium: Spontaneous emission, photon statistics, entropy generation, and stochastic motion

Mohammad F. Maghrebi, Robert L. Jaffe, and Mehran Kardar
Phys. Rev. A 90, 012515 – Published 16 July 2014

Abstract

We study the implications of quantum fluctuations of a dispersive medium, under steady rotation, either in or out of thermal equilibrium with its environment. A rotating object exhibits a quantum instability by dissipating its mechanical motion via spontaneous emission of photons, as well as internal heat generation. Universal relations are derived for the radiated energy and angular momentum as trace formulas involving the object's scattering matrix. We also compute the quantum noise by deriving the full statistics of the radiated photons out of thermal and/or dynamic equilibrium. The (entanglement) entropy generation is quantified and the total entropy is shown to be always increasing. Furthermore, we derive a Fokker-Planck equation governing the stochastic angular motion resulting from the fluctuating backreaction frictional torque. As a result, we find a quantum limit on the uncertainty of the object's angular velocity in steady rotation. Finally, we show in some detail that a rotating object drags nearby objects, making them spin parallel to its axis of rotation. A scalar toy model is introduced to simplify the technicalities and ease the conceptual complexities and then a detailed discussion of quantum electrodynamics is presented.

  • Received 7 January 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.90.012515

©2014 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Mohammad F. Maghrebi1,2,*, Robert L. Jaffe1, and Mehran Kardar2

  • 1Center for Theoretical Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
  • 2Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA

  • *Present address: Joint Quantum Institute, NIST and University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.

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Vol. 90, Iss. 1 — July 2014

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