The force of the vacuum:

[beecee]

https://phys.org/news/2018-12-vacuum.html

The vacuum fluctuations of light (yellow wave) are amplified in an optical cavity (upper and lower reflecting mirrors). Crystal lattice vibrations (red atoms) at a two-dimensional interface surf this strong light wave. The thus mixed light-vibrational waves couple particularly strongly to electrons in a two-dimensional atomically thin material (green and yellow atoms), changing its properties. Credit: J. M. Harms, MPSD

Scientists from the Theory Department of the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (MPSD) at the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) in Hamburg, Germany have shown through theoretical calculations and computer simulations that the force between electrons and lattice distortions in an atomically thin two-dimensional superconductor can be controlled with virtual photons. This could aid the development of new superconductors for energy-saving devices and many other technical applications.

The vacuum is not empty. It may sound like magic to laypeople but the problem has preoccupied physicists since the birth of quantum mechanics. The apparent void bubbles incessantly and produces fluctuations of light even at absolute zero temperature. In a sense, these virtual photons are just waiting to be used. They can carry forces and change the properties of matter.

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-12-vacuum.html#jCp
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the paper:

http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/11/eaau6969

Cavity quantum-electrodynamical polaritonically enhanced electron-phonon coupling and its influence on superconductivity:

Abstract

So far, laser control of solids has been mainly discussed in the context of strong classical nonlinear light-matter coupling in a pump-probe framework. Here, we propose a quantum-electrodynamical setting to address the coupling of a low-dimensional quantum material to quantized electromagnetic fields in quantum cavities. Using a protoypical model system describing FeSe/SrTiO3 with electron-phonon long-range forward scattering, we study how the formation of phonon polaritons at the two-dimensional interface of the material modifies effective couplings and superconducting properties in a Migdal-Eliashberg simulation. We find that through highly polarizable dipolar phonons, large cavity-enhanced electron-phonon couplings are possible, but superconductivity is not enhanced for the forward-scattering pairing mechanism due to the interplay between coupling enhancement and mode softening. Our results demonstrate that quantum cavities enable the engineering of fundamental couplings in solids, paving the way for unprecedented control of material properties.