Atomic energy-level shifts near a dielectric microsphere

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Abstract
We calculate the energy-level shifts of an atom near a dielectric microsphere. With the quantum electrodynamic linear-response formalism and the exact field susceptibility satisfying the boundary conditions, the energy shifts of a ground-state atom are calculated numerically. From the numerical results, in particular, we are able to identify the short-range instantaneous van der Waals interaction energy and the long-range Casimir-Polder retarded interaction energy between two polarizable objects (atom and cavity).