Specific Features of Interatomic Dipole–Dipole Interaction near a Perfectly Conducting Charged Surface

Abstract

Specific features of dipole–dipole interaction between two motionless point atoms located near a perfectly conducting charged plate are investigated theoretically within a consistent quantum microscopic approach. These features are analyzed on the basis of the dynamics of cooperative spontaneous decay of excited states of a diatomic quasimolecule. The decay rate is investigated as a function of the interatomic distance, the orientation angle of the quasimolecule with respect to the plane of the plate, and the distance between the quasimolecule and the plate. It is shown that the conducting plate significantly modifies the character of dipole–dipole interaction even when the plate is not charged. When the plate is charged, the Stark splitting of atomic levels leads to an additional modification of the interatomic interaction. The features observed are explained on the basis of the analysis of the spectrum of collective states of diatomic molecules.