Fluctuations of Fluctuation-Induced "Casimir" Forces

Quantum theory predicts the existence of the Casimir force between macroscopic bodies, due to the zero-point energy of electromagnetic field modes around them. This quantum fluctuation-induced force has been experimentally observed for metallic and semiconducting bodies, although the measurements to date have been unable to clearly settle the question of the correct low-frequency form of the dielectric constant dispersion (the Drude model or the plasma model) to be used for c...

The standard expression of the high-temperature Casimir force between perfect conductors is obtained by imposing macroscopic boundary conditions on the electromagnetic field at metallic interfaces. This force is twice larger than that computed in microscopic classical models allowing for charge fluctuations inside the conductors. We present a direct computation of the force between two quantum plasma slabs in the framework of non relativistic quantum electrodynamics including...

The Casimir effect, reflecting quantum vacuum fluctuations in the electromagnetic field in a region with material boundaries, has been studied both theoretically and experimentally since 1948. The forces between dielectric and metallic surfaces both plane and curved have been measured at the 10 to 1 percent level in a variety of room-temperature experiments, and remarkable agreement with the zero-temperature theory has been achieved. In fitting the data various corrections du...

Zero-point fluctuations in quantum fields give rise to observable forces between material bodies, the so-called Casimir forces. In these lectures I present the theory of the Casimir effect, primarily formulated in terms of Green's functions. There is an intimate relation between the Casimir effect and van der Waals forces. Applications to conductors and dielectric bodies of various shapes will be given for the cases of scalar, electromagnetic, and fermionic fields. The dimens...

We investigate the forces exerted on embedded inclusions by a fluid medium with long-range correlations, described by an effective scalar field theory. Such forces are the basis for the medium-mediated Casimir-like force. To study these forces beyond thermal average, it is necessary to define them in each microstate of the medium. Two different definitions of these forces are currently used in the literature. We study the assumptions underlying them. We show that only the def...

It is well known that, beginning in 2000, the behavior of the thermal correction to the Casimir force between real metals has been hotly debated. As was shown by several research groups, the Lifshitz theory, which provides the theoretical foundation for the calculation of both the van der Waals and Casimir forces, leads to different results depending on the model of metal conductivity used. To resolve these controversies, the theoretical considerations based on the principles...

This is the abstract of an invited contribution to be presented at the 9th International Conference on Squeezed States and Uncertainty Relations, ICSSUR '05, Besancon, France, May 2-6, 2005.

The properties of fluctuation induced interactions like van der Waals and Casimir-Lifshitz forces are of interest in a plethora of fields ranging from biophysics to nanotechnology. Here we describe a general approach to compute these interactions. It is based on a combination of methods from statistical physics and scattering theory. We showcase how it is exquisitely suited to analyze a variety of previously unexplored phenomena. Examples are given to show how the interplay o...

Quantum electrodynamic fluctuations cause an attractive force between metallic surfaces. At separations where the finite speed of light affects the interaction, it is called the Casimir force. Thermal motion determines the fundamental sensitivity limits of its measurement at room temperature, but several other systematic errors contribute uncertainty as well and become more significant in air relative to vacuum. Here we discuss the viability of several measurement techniques ...

In this paper, we use the formalism of finite-temperature quantum field theory to investigate the Casimir force between flat, ideally conductive surfaces containing confined, but mobile ions. We demonstrate that, in the Gaussian approximation, the ionic fluctuations contribute separately from the electromagnetic fluctuations that are responsible for the standard Casimir effect. This is in line with the "separation hypothesis", has been previously applied on a purely intuitive...