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Open Physics
|
2010
|
vol. 8
|
issue 3
463-479
EN
The existence of life on a free-floating planet is conditioned by the existence of an optically thick atmosphere. This may ensure the long-term thermal stability of a (liquid) solvent on the surface of that body. Requirements to be fulfilled by a hypothetic gas constituent of a free-floating planet atmosphere are studied. The four gases analyzed here (nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane and ethane) are candidates. They may induce a higher opacity than molecular hydrogen, which has been considered in previous research. The paper deals with preparation of tables of Rosseland mean opacity values. Selection of the ranges of temperature and pressure is guided by life existence considerations. The range of temperatures involved (50 to 650 K) is lower than usually found in the literature. The tables may be useful for studies related to free-floating planets, where the usage of absorption opacity is a straightforward way to compute the energy flux in the atmosphere. Also, the results are useful in all cases where radiation is transferred through dense layers of the gases considered in this paper.
EN
The thermal friction force acting on an atom moving relative to a thermal photon bath has recently been calculated on the basis of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. The thermal fluctuations of the electromagnetic field give rise to a drag force on an atom provided one allows for dissipation of the field energy via spontaneous emission. The drag force exists if the atomic polarizability has a nonvanishing imaginary part. Here, we explore alternative derivations. The damping of the motion of a simple harmonic oscillator is described by radiative reaction theory (result of Einstein and Hopf), taking into account the known stochastic fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. Describing the excitations of the atom as an ensemble of damped harmonic oscillators, we identify the previously found expressions as generalizations of the Einstein-Hopf result. In addition, we present a simple explanation for blackbody friction in terms of a Doppler shift of the thermal radiation in the inertial frame of the moving atom: The atom absorbs blue-shifted photons from the front and radiates off energy in all directions, thereby losing energy. The original plus the two alternative derivations provide for additional confirmation of an intriguing quantum friction effect, and leave no doubt regarding its existence.
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