Fluctuation-induced phenomena in non-equilibrium systems
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2013.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | eng |
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2014
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/83826 |
| _version_ | 1811086093461749760 |
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| author | Faghfoor M., Mohammad (Faghfoor Maghrebi) |
| author2 | Robert L. Jaffe and Mehran Kardar. |
| author_facet | Robert L. Jaffe and Mehran Kardar. Faghfoor M., Mohammad (Faghfoor Maghrebi) |
| author_sort | Faghfoor M., Mohammad (Faghfoor Maghrebi) |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2013. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T13:20:47Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | mit-1721.1/83826 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T13:20:47Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/838262019-04-11T01:45:40Z Fluctuation-induced phenomena in non-equilibrium systems Faghfoor M., Mohammad (Faghfoor Maghrebi) Robert L. Jaffe and Mehran Kardar. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics. Physics. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2013. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (pages 128-134). In this thesis, we investigate the implications of fluctuations in systems away, possibly even far, from equilibrium due to their motion either in or out of thermal equilibrium. This subject encompasses several topics in physics including the dynamical Casimir effect in the presence of moving boundaries, and non-contact friction between objects in relative motion. In both cases, photons are created due to the coupling of the motion and zero-point fluctuations in the vacuum, resulting in dissipation and radiative loss. We introduce a general formalism, equally applicable to lossy and ideal objects, to compute the quantum radiation and dissipation effects solely in terms of the classical scattering matrices. We obtain trace formulas which are general and independent of any approximation scheme where numerous examples, many novel, are discussed in great detail. Specifically, we give an exact treatment of quantum fluctuations in the context of a neutral rotating object, and show that it spontaneously emits photons and drags objects nearby, and compute the associated photon statistics and entropy generation. In the context of non-contact friction, we find a quantum analog of the classical Cherenkov effect for two neutral plates in relative motion, purely due to quantum fluctuations. We present a number of arguments and exact proofs, including a method introduced in the context of quantum field theory in curved space, as well as the scattering approach, to show that a friction force between two plates appears at a threshold velocity set by the speed of light in their medium. by Mohammad F. Maghrebi. Ph.D. 2014-01-09T19:59:17Z 2014-01-09T19:59:17Z 2013 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/83826 865576906 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 134 pages application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| spellingShingle | Physics. Faghfoor M., Mohammad (Faghfoor Maghrebi) Fluctuation-induced phenomena in non-equilibrium systems |
| title | Fluctuation-induced phenomena in non-equilibrium systems |
| title_full | Fluctuation-induced phenomena in non-equilibrium systems |
| title_fullStr | Fluctuation-induced phenomena in non-equilibrium systems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fluctuation-induced phenomena in non-equilibrium systems |
| title_short | Fluctuation-induced phenomena in non-equilibrium systems |
| title_sort | fluctuation induced phenomena in non equilibrium systems |
| topic | Physics. |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/83826 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT faghfoormmohammadfaghfoormaghrebi fluctuationinducedphenomenainnonequilibriumsystems |