The quantum-optics Hamiltonian in the Multipolar gauge. - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Scientific Reports Année : 2017

The quantum-optics Hamiltonian in the Multipolar gauge.

Emmanuel Rousseau
Didier Felbacq
  • Fonction : Auteur
  • PersonId : 998383

Résumé

This article deals with the fundamental problem of light-matter interaction in the quantum theory. Although it is described through the vector potential in quantum electrodynamics, it is believed by some that a hamiltonian involving only the electric and the magnetic fields is preferable. In the literature this hamiltonian is known as the Power-Zienau-Woolley hamiltonian. We question its validity and show that it is not equivalent to the minimal-coupling hamiltonian. In this article, we show that these two hamiltonians are not connected through a gauge transformation. We find that the gauge is not fixed in the Power-Zienau-Woolley hamiltonian. The interaction term is written in one gauge whereas the rest of the hamiltonian is written in another gauge. The Power-Zienau-Woolley hamiltonian and the minimal-coupling one are related through a unitary transformation that does not fulfill the gauge fixing constraints. Consequently, they predict different physical results. In this letter, we provide the correct quantum theory in the multipolar gauge with a hamiltonian involving only the physical fields.
Fichier principal
Rousseau_et_al-2017-Scientific_Reports.pdf (3.12 Mo) Télécharger le fichier Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
Rousseau_et_al-2017-Scientific_Reports.Supplementary.pdf (305.56 Ko) Télécharger le fichier
Origine : Publication financée par une institution
Origine : Publication financée par une institution
Loading...

Dates et versions

hal-01589130 , version 1 (18-09-2017)

Identifiants

Citer

Emmanuel Rousseau, Didier Felbacq. The quantum-optics Hamiltonian in the Multipolar gauge.. Scientific Reports, 2017, 7 (1), pp.11115. ⟨10.1038/s41598-017-11076-5⟩. ⟨hal-01589130⟩
197 Consultations
649 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More