  We investigate how the combination of nonequilibrium effects and material
properties impacts on the Casimir-Polder interaction between an atom and a
surface. By addressing systems with temperature inhomogeneities and laser
interactions, we show that nonmonotonous energetic landscapes can be produced
where barriers and minima appear. Our treatment provides a self-consistent
quantum theoretical framework for investigating the properties of a class of
nonequilibrium atom-surface interactions.
