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 ...

CASIMIR INTERACTIONS BETWEEN SCATTERERS IN CARBON NANOTUBES Dina Zhabinskaya Eugene J. Mele, advisor In this thesis we calculate interactions between localized scatterers in metallic carbon nanotubes. Backscattering of electrons between localized scatterers mediates long range forces between them. These interactions are mapped to Casimir forces mediated by one-dimensional massless fermions and ...

We calculate the scalar Casimir energy and Casimir force for a R×N Kaluza-Klein piston setup in which the extra dimensional space N contains a non-commutative 2sphere, SFZ . The cases to be studied are T d × SFZ and SFZ respectively as extra dimensional spaces, with T d the d dimensional commutative torus. The validity of the results and the regularization that the piston setup offers are exami...

Abstract. In this article, we consider the finite temperature Casimir effect in Kaluza-Klein spacetime due the the vacuum fluctuation of massless scalar field with Dirichlet boundary conditions. We consider the general case where the extra dimensions (internal space) can be any compact connected manifold or orbifold without boundaries. Using piston analysis, we show that the Casimir force is al...

The possibility to modify the strength of the Casimir effect by tailoring the dielectric functions of the interacting surfaces is regarded as a unique opportunity in the development of micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems. In air, however, one expects that, unless noble metals are used, the electrostatic force arising from trapped charges overcomes the Casimir attraction, leaving no room fo...

Abstract. It is shown that the commonly accepted definition for the Casimir scalar operators of the Poincaré group does not satisfy the properties of Casimir invariance when applied to the non-inertial motion of elementary particles while in the presence of external gravitational and electromagnetic fields, where general curvilinear coordinates are used to describe the momentum generators withi...

In this talk I review various developments in the past year concerning quantum vacuum energy, the Casimir effect. In particular, there has been continuing controversy surrounding the temperature correction to the Lifshitz formula for the Casimir force between real materials, be they metals or semiconductors. Consensus has emerged as to how Casimir energy accelerates in a weak gravitational fiel...

The Casimir effect for Dirac as well as for scalar charged particles is influenced by external magnetic fields. It is also influenced by finite temperature. Here we consider the Casimir effect for a charged scalar field under the combined influence of an external magnetic field and finite temperature. The free energy for such a system is computed using Schwinger’s method for the calculation of ...

The Casimir energy of a massless scalar field is semiclassically given by contributions due to classical periodic rays. The required subtractions in the spectral density are determined explicitly. The so defined semiclassical Casimir energy coincides with that obtained using zeta function regularization in the cases studied. Poles in the analytic continuation of zeta function regularization are...

Casimir forces can appear between intrusions placed in different media driven by several fluctuation mechanisms, either in equilibrium or out of it. Herein, we develop a general formalism to obtain such forces from the dynamical equations of the fluctuating medium, the statistical properties of the driving noise, and the boundary conditions of the intrusions (which simulate the interaction betw...