On the role of dissipation on the Casimir–Polder potential between molecules in dielectric media

Abstract

An expression for the Casimir-Polder potential between molecules in a homogeneous dispersive and absorptive dielectric medium is derived. The effect of retardation on the interaction energy is discussed by examining the wave-zone and nonretarded limits of the potential. Unlike Lifshitz theory, the interaction energy is not derived from the potential between macroscopic bodies. In this work, a Green function that explicitly accounts for absorption in the medium is obtained. This function leads to possible dissipation effects and presents a near-zone form that vanishes in the limit of nonabsorptive medium. Employing a two-level model, it is shown that the retarded van der Waals dispersion potential in a medium may become repulsive as a consequence of absorption by the medium. It is suggested that the repulsive dispersion force may delay precipitation of nonpolar molecules from a dielectric solvent or even inhibit chemical reaction between them.