  When an atom in vacuum is near a surface of a dielectric the energy of a
fluctuating electromagnetic field depends on a distance between them resulting,
as known, in the force called van der Waals one. Besides this fluctuation
phenomenon there is one associated with formation of a mean electric field
which is equivalent to an order parameter. In this case atomic electrons are
localized within atomic distances close to the atom and the total ground state
energy is larger, compared to the bare atom, due to a polarization of the
dielectric and a creation of a mean electric field locally distributed in the
dielectric. The phenomenon strongly differs from the usual ferroelectricity and
has a pure quantum origin connected with a violation of the interference due to
dephasing of fluctuating electron states in the atom.
