Former member of the Quantum Theory Group wins Doppler prize
Published: 5 April 2022
Matthias Sonnleitner, a former Research Fellow in the Quantum Theory Group, has won the Christian Doppler prize for his work on vacuum friction.
Matthias Sonnleitner, a former Research Fellow in the Quantum Theory Group, has won the Christian Doppler prize for his work on vacuum friction.
This study, carried out in collaboration with our own Steve Barnett, dealt with the observation that a radiating atom feels a friction force which, at first sight, might suggest a preferred reference frame for the atom in which it is at rest. Such a preferred frame would be in conflict with relativity. The resolution of the paradox lies in the relativistic phenomenon that an excited atom is more massive than one in its ground state. Appropriately, the phenomenon is apparent in the Doppler shift.
The work was published in Physical Review Letters, with a more detailed analysis in Physical Review A. Matthias is currently working at the University of Innsbruck.
First published: 5 April 2022
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