Exploring the van der Waals atom-surface attraction in the nanometric range

M. Fichet; G. Dutier; A. Yarovitsky; P. Todorov; I. Hamdi; I. Maurin; S. Saltiel; D. Sarkisyan; M.-P. Gorza; D. Bloch; M. Ducloy

doi:10.1209/0295-5075/77/54001

All issues

Volume 77 / No 5 (March 2007)

EPL, 77 5 (2007) 54001

Abstract

Issue		EPL Volume 77, Number 5, March 2007


Article Number		54001
Number of page(s)		6
Section		Electromagnetism, Optics, Acoustics, Heat Transfer, Classical Mechanics, and Fluid Dynamics
DOI		https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/77/54001
Published online		23 February 2007

EPL, 77 (2007) 54001

Exploring the van der Waals atom-surface attraction in the nanometric range

M. Fichet¹, G. Dutier¹, A. Yarovitsky¹, P. Todorov¹, I. Hamdi¹, I. Maurin¹, S. Saltiel¹, D. Sarkisyan², M.-P. Gorza¹, D. Bloch¹ and M. Ducloy¹

¹ Laboratoire de Physique des Lasers, UMR7538 du CNRS et de l'Université, Paris13 - 99, Av. J.B. Clément, F-93430 Villetaneuse, France
² Institute for Physical Research, National Academy of Sciences - Ashtarak 2, Armenia

Corresponding author: bloch@lpl.univ-paris13.fr

Received: 6 November 2006
Accepted: 17 January 2007

Abstract

The van der Waals atom-surface attraction, scaling as $C_{3}z^{-3}$ for z the atom-surface distance, is expected to be valid in the distance range 1 $\hbox{--}$ 1000 nm, covering 8 $\hbox{--}$ 10 orders of magnitudes in the interaction energy. A Cs vapour nanocell allows us to analyze the spectroscopic modifications induced by the atom-surface attraction on the $6P_{3/2} \rightarrow 6D_{5/2}$ transition. The measured C₃ value is found to be independent of the thickness in the explored range 40 $\hbox{--}$ 130 nm, and is in agreement with an elementary theoretical prediction. We also discuss the specific interest of exploring short distances and large interaction energy.

PACS: 42.50.Xa – Optical tests of quantum theory / 34.50.Dy – Interactions of atoms and molecules with surfaces; photon and electron emission; neutralization of ions / 32.70.Jz – Line shapes, widths, and shifts

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