Image method in the calculation of the van der Waals force between an atom and a conducting surface

After a brief survey of van der Waals forces, we review a method recently proposed by Eberlein and Zietal to compute the dispersion van der Waals interaction between a neutral but polarizable atom and a perfectly conducting surface of arbitrary shape. This method has the advantage of relating the quantum problem to a corresponding classical one in electrostatics in an enlightening way so that all one needs is to compute an appropriate Green function. We show how the image method of electrostatics can be conveniently used together with the Eberlein and Zietal method (when the image solution is known). We then illustrate this method in some simple but important cases, including the atom-sphere system. Finally, we present an original result for the van der Waals force between an atom and a boss hat made of a grounded conducting material. (C) 2013 American Association of Physics Teachers. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.4798548]