Casimir effects in atomic, molecular, and optical physics

Abstract

The long-range interaction between two atoms and the long-range interaction between an ion and an electron are compared at small and large intersystem separations. The vacuum dressed atom formalism is applied and found to provide a framework for interpretation of the similarities between the two cases. The van der Waals forces or Casimir-Polder potentials are used to obtain insight into relativistic and higher multipolar terms.