The Influence of Vacuum Electromagnetic Fluctuations on the motion of Charged Particles

Abstract

Lorentz-Dirac equation (LDE) is the widely accepted classical equation to describe the motion of a scalar point charge acted by external electromagnetic fields and its own radiating fields. Because LDE is highly nonlinear, the ubiquitous electromagnetic fluctuating fields of the vacuum would produce a nonzero contribution to the motion of charged particles, which provides a promising way to understand the century-old problems and puzzles associated with uniformly accelerating motion of a point charge. The vacuum fluctuations also have an intimate relationship with the Unruh effect. In this chapter we will restrict our main stamina to investigate the influence of the vacuum electromagnetic fluctuating fields on the motion of a point charge. Because the discussion upon problems, such as the Unruh effect etc., would greatly digress from the motif of this book, we just disperse brief remarks on these problems at suitable places.