  An atom moving in a vacuum at constant velocity and parallel to a surface
experiences a frictional force induced by the dissipative interaction with the
quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. We show that the combination
of nonequilibrium dynamics, anomalous Doppler effect and spin-momentum locking
of light mediates an intriguing interplay between the atom's translational and
rotational motion. In turn, this deeply affects the drag force in a way that is
reminiscent of classical rolling friction. Our fully non-Markovian and
nonequilibrium description reveals counterintuitive features characterizing the
atom's velocity-dependent rotational dynamics. These results prompt interesting
directions for tuning the interaction and for investigating nonequilibrium
dynamics as well as the properties of confined light.
