Quantum Fluctuations of the Refractive Index near the Interface Between a Metal and a Nonlinear Dielectric

Zero-point fluctuations of surface plasmon modes near the interface between a metal and a nonlinear dielectric are shown to produce a thin layer of shifted fluctuating dielectric constant near the interface. The shift of the dielectric constant in this layer may be sufficiently large to produce multiple metastable states of the surface plasmon vacuum.