The momentum transfer from an electromagnetic field to reflecting and absorbing surfaces was asserted by the Maxwell equations. This phenomenon, with important implications for the development of the cosmos, has also been investigated in the discretized energy scale using optomechanical devices. With the quantization of the electromagnetic field, it was discovered that the vacuum field may influence the dynamics of some physical systems, such as in the Casimir effect and the radiative decay of an atom. Here, the effect of the radiation pressure by the electromagnetic vacuum on the surface of a compressible conductor is analyzed, and the model based on the Born-Markov master equation predicts a harmonic strain and momentum analog to the classical counterpart. A fundamental difference observed is the oscillating purity of the deformation state. In addition, it was demonstrated that the time-averaged force originated from the elastic reflection of the vacuum-field modes is comparable to the Casimir force for two ideal metallic plates separated by a distance proportional to the reflectivity cutoff wavelength.

• Received 23 October 2020
• Accepted 4 January 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.103.013515