We identify two signatures of quantum vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field on a harmonically trapped charged particle. They are a shift from the natural trap frequency and generation of quantum coherences. The frequency shift, estimated for a single-electron cyclotron, should be observable in future experiments. We also suggest a possible route to detecting vacuum-generated quantum coherences. We assess the role of the long-wavelength and rotating-wave approximations in arriving at our estimates. These experiments should settle the debate on the choice of approximations and gauge in capturing the effect of the quantum vacuum fluctuations.
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Malcolm et al. (2024) studied this question.
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