Two-atom van der Waals interaction between polarizable/magnetizable atoms near magnetoelectric bodies

Abstract

The van der Waals potential of two atoms in the presence of an arbitrary arrangement of dispersing and absorbing magnetoelectric bodies is studied. Starting from a polarizable atom placed within a given geometry, its interaction with a second polarizable/magnetizable atom is deduced from its Casimir-Polder interaction with a weakly polarizable/magnetizable test body. The general expressions for the van der Waals potential obtained thusly are illustrated by considering first the case of two atoms in free space, with special emphasis on the interaction between (i) two polarizable atoms and (ii) a polarizable and a magnetizable atom. Furthermore, the influence of magnetoelectric bodies on the van der Waals interaction is studied in detail for the example of two atoms placed near a perfectly reflecting plate or a magnetoelectric half space, respectively.