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Related Concept Videos

Frictional Force01:07

Frictional Force

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When a body is in motion, it encounters resistance because the body interacts with its surroundings. This resistance is known as friction, a common yet complex force whose behavior is still not completely understood. Friction opposes relative motion between systems in contact, but also allows us to move. Friction arises in part due to the roughness of surfaces in contact. For one object to move along a surface, it must rise to where the peaks of the surface can skip along the bottom of the...
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Static and Kinetic Frictional Force01:05

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One of the simpler characteristics of sliding friction is that it is parallel to the contact surfaces between systems, and is always in a direction that opposes the motion or attempted motion of the systems relative to each other. If two systems are in contact and moving relative to one another, then the friction between them is called kinetic friction. For example, kinetic friction slows a hockey puck sliding on ice.
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Non-conservative Forces01:17

Non-conservative Forces

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Non-conservative forces are dissipative forces such as friction or air resistance. These forces take energy away from a system as it progresses. Unlike conservative forces, non-conservative forces do not have potential energy associated with them. This is because the energy is lost to the system and cannot be turned into useful work later.
Also unlike their conservative counterparts, they are path-dependent; where the object starts and stops does matter. For example, a grinding wheel applies a...
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Dry Friction01:30

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Dry friction occurs between two solid surfaces in contact as they attempt to move relative to one another. In daily life, dry friction is encountered in various forms, such as when walking on the ground, sliding an object across a table, or rubbing hands together. Despite its ubiquity, the underlying mechanisms behind dry friction are not readily visible.
To illustrate this concept, imagine a wooden crate resting on a rough, non-uniform horizontal surface. When an external force is applied to...
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Static Friction01:18

Static Friction

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Static friction is a force that opposes the relative motion or tendency of motion between two surfaces in contact. It plays a crucial role in our daily lives, from walking on the ground to driving a car.
For example, consider a scenario where a truck is connected to a car by a rope, ready to tow it along a road. When no external force is applied by the truck, the car remains stationary and is said to be in static equilibrium. In this case, the forces acting on the car, such as gravity and the...
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Damped Oscillations01:07

Damped Oscillations

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In the real world, oscillations seldom follow true simple harmonic motion. A system that continues its motion indefinitely without losing its amplitude is termed undamped. However, friction of some sort usually dampens the motion, so it fades away or needs more force to continue. For example, a guitar string stops oscillating a few seconds after being plucked. Similarly, one must continually push a swing to keep a child swinging on a playground.
Although friction and other non-conservative...
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Experimental Multiscale Methodology for Predicting Material Fouling Resistance
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Will a Decaying Atom Feel a Friction Force?

Matthias Sonnleitner1, Nils Trautmann1,2, Stephen M Barnett1

  • 1School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom.

Physical Review Letters
|February 18, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

An excited atom moving in a vacuum experiences a small friction force. This finding, derived from a simple calculation, aligns with special relativity

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Area of Science:

  • Quantum optics
  • Atomic physics
  • Relativistic effects

Background:

  • The interaction of atoms with the quantum vacuum is a fundamental concept in quantum optics.
  • Previous theoretical models suggested that vacuum interactions do not alter an atom's velocity.
  • Special relativity dictates strict conservation laws for energy and momentum.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the interaction between a moving excited two-level atom and the vacuum.
  • To reconcile the apparent contradiction between vacuum friction and velocity conservation.
  • To explore the implications of energy and momentum conservation in relativistic scenarios.

Main Methods:

  • A simplified theoretical calculation was employed.
  • The framework of special relativity was utilized.
  • Analysis focused on the conservation of energy and momentum.

Main Results:

  • A novel finding reveals a first-order friction force on an excited two-level atom moving through vacuum.
  • The calculated friction force is proportional to the ratio of the atom's velocity to the speed of light (v/c).
  • This friction is a necessary consequence of relativistic energy and momentum conservation.

Conclusions:

  • The study demonstrates that moving excited atoms experience a subtle friction from vacuum interactions.
  • This result challenges previous assumptions about velocity conservation in atomic-vacuum interactions.
  • The findings underscore the importance of relativistic effects in understanding atomic motion and vacuum interactions.