Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2026
11:03
An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Quantum dissipative Brownian motion and the Casimir effect
Gert-Ludwig Ingold1, Astrid Lambrecht, Serge Reynaud
1Institut für Physik, Universität Augsburg, D-86135 Augsburg, Germany.
Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|November 13, 2009
Summary
We found an analogy between quantum particle thermodynamics and the Casimir effect. Quantum effects ensure low-temperature behavior, and entropy can non-monotonically depend on temperature, even with dissipation.
Area of Science:
- Quantum thermodynamics
- Condensed matter physics
- Quantum optics
Background:
- A free quantum particle in isolation exhibits high-temperature thermodynamics.
- The Casimir effect involves electromagnetic fields between conductive mirrors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore a thermodynamic analogy between a dissipative quantum particle and the Casimir effect.
- To investigate the role of environmental coupling and finite conductivity on quantum thermodynamic properties.
Main Methods:
- Analogical reasoning between quantum particle systems and electromagnetic fields.
- Analysis of thermodynamic properties, specifically entropy, as a function of temperature and damping.
Main Results:
- Finite environmental coupling leads to correct low-temperature quantum behavior for the particle.
- Entropy can exhibit non-monotonic behavior with temperature under specific conditions.
- A similar non-monotonic entropy dependence is observed in the Casimir effect for finite mirror conductivity.
Conclusions:
- The analogy highlights shared thermodynamic behaviors in seemingly different quantum systems.
- Non-continuous thermodynamic behavior is observed in the limits of vanishing dissipation and infinite conductivity.
Related Concept Videos
02:32The de Broglie Wavelength
In the macroscopic world, objects that are large enough to be seen by the naked eye follow the rules of classical physics. A billiard ball moving on a table will behave like a particle; it will continue traveling in a straight line unless it collides with another ball, or it is acted on by some other force, such as friction. The ball has a well-defined position and velocity or well-defined momentum, p = mv, which is defined by mass m and velocity v at any given moment. This is the typical...
02:45The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom
Shortly after de Broglie published his ideas that the electron in a hydrogen atom could be better thought of as being a circular standing wave instead of a particle moving in quantized circular orbits, Erwin Schrödinger extended de Broglie’s work by deriving what is now known as the Schrödinger equation. When Schrödinger applied his equation to hydrogen-like atoms, he was able to reproduce Bohr’s expression for the energy and, thus, the Rydberg formula governing hydrogen spectra. Schrödinger...
01:23Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes
In the absence of an external magnetic field, nuclear spin states are degenerate and randomly oriented. When a magnetic field is applied, the spins begin to precess and orient themselves along (lower energy) or against (higher energy) the direction of the field. At equilibrium, a slight excess population of spins exists in the lower energy state. Because the direction of the magnetic field is fixed as the z-axis, the precessing magnetic moments are randomly oriented around the z-axis. This...
01:16Perpendicular-Axis Theorem
The perpendicular-axis theorem states that the moment of inertia of a planar object about an axis perpendicular to its plane is equal to the sum of the moments of inertia about two mutually perpendicular concurrent axes lying in the plane of the body.
Consider a circular disc of mass M and radius R lying along an x-y plane. The origin lies at the center of the disc, and the z-axis is perpendicular to the disc's plane. All three axes coincide at the disc's center. The moment of inertia of this...
Consider a circular disc of mass M and radius R lying along an x-y plane. The origin lies at the center of the disc, and the z-axis is perpendicular to the disc's plane. All three axes coincide at the disc's center. The moment of inertia of this...
02:18Interference and Diffraction
Interference is a characteristic phenomenon exhibited by waves. When two electromagnetic waves interact with their peaks and troughs coinciding, a resulting wave with enhanced amplitude is produced. This is known as constructive interference. In this case, the two waves interacting are in phase with each other.
01:12Kinetic Theory of an Ideal Gas
A mole is defined as the amount of any substance that contains as many molecules as there are atoms in exactly 12 grams of carbon-12. An Italian scientist Amedeo Avogadro (1776–1856) formed the hypothesis that equal volumes of gas at equal pressure and temperature contain equal numbers of molecules, independent of the type of gas. Later, the hypothesis was developed to form the SI unit for measuring the amount of any substance.
The number of molecules in one mole is called Avogadro's number...
The number of molecules in one mole is called Avogadro's number...