  An atom irradiated by an off-resonant laser field near a surface is expected
to experience the sum of two fundamental potentials, the optical potential of
the laser field and the Casimir--Polder potential of the surface. Here, we
report a new non-additive potential, namely the laser-induced Casimir--Polder
potential, which arises from a correlated coupling of the atom with both the
laser and the quantum vacuum. We apply this result to an experimentally
realizable scenario of an atomic mirror with an evanescent laser beam leaking
out of a surface. We show that the non-additive term is significant for
realistic experimental parameters, transforming potential barriers into
potential wells, which can be used to trap atoms near surfaces.
