  We develop a dynamical approach to study the Casimir-Polder force between a
initially bare molecule and a magnetodielectric body at finite temperature.
Switching on the interaction between the molecule and the field at a particular
time, we study the resulting temporal evolution of the Casimir-Polder
interaction. The dynamical self-dressing of the molecule and its
population-induced dynamics are accounted for and discussed. In particular, we
find that the Casimir-Polder force between a chiral molecule and a perfect
mirror oscillates in time with a frequency related to the molecular transition
frequency, and converges to the static result for large times.
