%0 Journal Article
%T The quantum-optics Hamiltonian in the Multipolar gauge.
%+ Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (L2C)
%A Rousseau, Emmanuel
%A Felbacq, Didier
%< avec comité de lecture
%Z L2C:17-105
%@ 2045-2322
%J Scientific Reports
%I Nature Publishing Group
%V 7
%N 1
%P 11115
%8 2017-09-11
%D 2017
%R 10.1038/s41598-017-11076-5
%M 28894205
%Z Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Optics [physics.optics]
%Z Physics [physics]/Condensed Matter [cond-mat]/Materials Science [cond-mat.mtrl-sci]
%Z Physics [physics]/Mechanics [physics]/Thermics [physics.class-ph]
%Z Engineering Sciences [physics]/Mechanics [physics.med-ph]/Thermics [physics.class-ph]Journal articles
%X This article deals with the fundamental problem of light-matter interaction in the quantum theory. Although it is described through the vector potential in quantum electrodynamics, it is believed by some that a hamiltonian involving only the electric and the magnetic fields is preferable. In the literature this hamiltonian is known as the Power-Zienau-Woolley hamiltonian. We question its validity and show that it is not equivalent to the minimal-coupling hamiltonian. In this article, we show that these two hamiltonians are not connected through a gauge transformation. We find that the gauge is not fixed in the Power-Zienau-Woolley hamiltonian. The interaction term is written in one gauge whereas the rest of the hamiltonian is written in another gauge. The Power-Zienau-Woolley hamiltonian and the minimal-coupling one are related through a unitary transformation that does not fulfill the gauge fixing constraints. Consequently, they predict different physical results. In this letter, we provide the correct quantum theory in the multipolar gauge with a hamiltonian involving only the physical fields.
%G English
%2 https://hal.science/hal-01589130/document
%2 https://hal.science/hal-01589130/file/Rousseau_et_al-2017-Scientific_Reports.pdf
%2 https://hal.science/hal-01589130/file/Rousseau_et_al-2017-Scientific_Reports.Supplementary.pdf
%L hal-01589130
%U https://hal.science/hal-01589130
%~ CNRS
%~ L2C
%~ MIPS
%~ UNIV-MONTPELLIER
%~ UM-2015-2021