Cavity QED induced EM radiation
Since time immemorial, man has been fascinated by atmospheric electricity. Yet, to this day the source of charge that produces the visible (
At ambient temperature, a source of electromagnetic (EM) radiation having Planck energy at vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) frequencies is required to liberate electrons and
One theory by which VUV radiation is produced at ambient temperature is called cavity QED induced EM radiation. QED stands for quantum electrodynamics. Consider a particle of atoms having thermal kT energy confined within a surrounding annular QED cavity. A plurality of VUV waves stand in the gap between the particle and the cavity wall, one such VUV wave depicted in the following sketch,
The particle within the QED cavity may form by:
(1) the cavity wall separating from the particle, say in the nucleation of bubbles,
(2) the trapping of a particle by the cavity closing around it, say as a person shoe stepping on a on a dust particle.
But free particles are not necessary. The extent of the QED cavity not only includes the gap, but also the penetration depth of the VUV standing wave beneath the surface of the cavity wall. Therefore, any QED cavity always contains the atoms within the penetration depth of standing resonant EM waves, e.g., the QED cavities comprising gaps between metal surfaces, as in contact electrification or the Casimir effect. Whether a particle or subsurface atoms, the IR radiation is suppressed because of the higher VUV resonance of the gap.