Quantum fluctuations of radiation pressure

Abstract

Quantum fluctuations of electromagnetic radiation pressure are discussed. We use an approach based on the quantum stress tensor to calculate the fluctuations in velocity and position of a mirror subjected to electromagnetic radiation. Our approach reveals that radiation pressure fluctuations are due to a cross term between vacuum and state dependent terms in a stress tensor operator product. Thus observation of these fluctuations would entail experimental confirmation of this cross term. We first analyze the pressure fluctuations on a single, perfectly reflecting mirror, and then study the case of an interferometer. This involves a study of the effects of multiple bounces in one arm, as well as the correlations of the pressure fluctuations between arms of the interferometer. In all cases, our results are consistent with those previously obtained by Caves using different mehods.

Quantum Stress Tensor Fluctuations and their Physical Effects

“…For the case of light in a coherent state, this effect was first analyzed by Caves [18,19], using an approach based upon fluctuation in photon numbers. It was studied by the present authors [20] using the quantum stress tensor, where it was shown that the radiation pressure fluctuations arise entirely from the cross term in the correlation function. This follows from the fact that for a single mode coherent state |z ,…”

Probability distributions for quantum stress tensors measured in a finite time interval

“…Quantum stress tensor fluctuations can have a variety of physical effects, and have been discussed by several authors [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. These effects include radiation pressure fluctuations [14], and passive quantum fluctuations of gravity, where the gravitational field fluctuates in response to matter stress tensor fluctuations.…”

“…These effects include radiation pressure fluctuations [14], and passive quantum fluctuations of gravity, where the gravitational field fluctuates in response to matter stress tensor fluctuations. Much of the previous work on this topic has involved calculating mean squared effects using integrals of a stress tensor correlation function.…”

Possible constraints on the duration of inflationary expansion from quantum stress tensor fluctuations

“…Quantum fluctuations of the stress tensor operator have been studied in numerous recent papers [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19]. Fluctuations of the stress tensor drive passive fluctuations of the gravitational field, which are to be distinguished from the active fluctuations due to the quantization of the gravitational degrees of freedom.…”