Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 12, 2026

Spectral and Angle-Resolved Magneto-Optical Characterization of Photonic Nanostructures
Published on: November 21, 2019
Transfer of linear momentum from the quantum vacuum to a magnetochiral molecule
M Donaire1, B A van Tiggelen, G L J A Rikken
1Laboratoire Kastler-Brossel, CNRS, ENS and UPMC, Case 74, F-75252 Paris, France.
Abstract:
In a recent publication we have shown using a QED approach that, in the presence of a magnetic field, the quantum vacuum coupled to a chiral molecule provides a kinetic momentum directed along the magnetic field. Here we explain the physical mechanisms which operate in the transfer of momentum from the vacuum to the molecule. We show that the variation of the molecular kinetic energy originates from the magnetic energy associated with the vacuum correction to the magnetization of the molecule. We carry out a semiclassical calculation of the vacuum momentum and compare the result with the QED calculation.
Related Concept Videos
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes
Conservation of Linear Momentum for a System of Particles
The impulsive force at play during this interaction is of extremely short duration, rendering its impulse negligible. When...
Motion Of A Charged Particle In A Magnetic Field
Atomic Nuclei: Magnetic Resonance
Magnetic Field due to Moving Charges
Consider a point charge moving with a constant velocity. Like the electric field, the magnetic field at any point is directly proportional to the magnitude of the charge and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the source point and the field point. However, unlike the electric field, the magnetic field is always perpendicular to the plane containing the line...
Magnetic Moment of an Electron

