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Closed-time-path approach to the optomechanical backreaction problem

Salvatore Butera

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 096016 – Published 22 May, 2026Erratum Phys. Rev. D 114, 079901 (2026)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/hdlj-6b65

Abstract

We present a perturbative closed-time-path (in-in) formulation of an optomechanical system in which a quantum field interacts with a moving mirror via radiation-pressure. We derive the effective action governing the dynamics of the moving mirror, incorporating the full backreaction of the field. These effects are encoded in fluctuation and dissipation kernels, that we show satisfy fluctuation-dissipation relations, and whose spectral structure reveals a direct connection with the underlying physical mechanism responsible for the backreaction, that is particle creation by the dynamical Casimir effect. By deriving the semiclassical equations of motion for the moving mirror, and computing the energy radiated into the field using the in-out formalism of quantum field theory, we verify the energy balance between the mechanical energy dissipated by the optical backreaction forces acting on the mirror and the energy carried by the particles created in the field.

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Erratum

Erratum: Closed-time-path approach to the optomechanical backreaction problem [Phys. Rev. D 113, 096016 (2026)]

Salvatore Butera
Phys. Rev. D 114, 079901 (2026)

Article Text

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Phys. Rev. D 113, 096016– Published 22 May, 2026
  • Received 14 March 2026
  • Accepted 24 April 2026
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