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Questions tagged [casimir-effect]

A small attractive force that acts between two close parallel uncharged conducting plates, resulting from the quantum fluctuations of the field.

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Regularization of the Casimir effect

For starters, let me say that although the Casimir effect is standard textbook stuff, the only QFT textbook I have in reach is Weinberg and he doesn't discuss it. So the only source I currently have on the subject is Wikipedia. Nevertheless I…
Squark
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Why does analytic continuation as a regularization work at all?

The question is about why analytical continuation as a regularization scheme works at all, and whether there are some physical justifications. However, as this is a relatively general question, I shall use the following examples to make the question…
user110373
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If energy is only defined up to a constant, can we really claim that ground state energy has an absolute value?

Sorry if this is really naive, but we learned in Newtonian physics that the total energy of a system is only defined up to an additive constant, since you can always add a constant to the potential energy function without changing the equation of…
user3035
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Why do we not observe a greater Casimir force than we do?

I am very new to quantum field theory, so forgive me if this question is a bit silly. The Casimir force is usually explained by the zero point energy of the field. You assume that the frequencies of the field are quantized between the two plates,…
John Dumancic
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How do we know that analytic continuation agrees with UV regulators?

Consider the divergent series $$S = 1 + 1 + 1 + \ldots$$ which may appear in some calculations involving the Casimir effect. There are two main ways to evaluate this series. One can perform analytic continuation (e.g. by the zeta function),…
knzhou
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Van der Waals and Casimir forces

Does one need to invoke quantum mechanics to explain Casimir or van der Waals forces? I see that textbooks show derivations of van der Waal forces with no QM but the Casimir force is typically described within QM. Additional questions I have are:…
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Casimir effect as an entropic force

When I first learned about the depletion interaction, my initial reaction was that it looks very similar to the Casimir effect. On making this remark to the professor, he replied somewhat mystically: "It is the Casimir effect." No further detail was…
Mark Mitchison
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dynamic casimir effect

A few years ago, when i studied the casimir effect interpretation as the filtering out of vacuum modes with appropiate boundary conditions, i had the following dilemma; supposedly the derivation of the force between the walls was entirely equivalent…
lurscher
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Which values of the Riemann zeta function at negative arguments come up in physics?

For my bachelor's thesis, I am investigating Divergent Series. Apart from the mathematical theory behind them (which I find fascinating), I am also interested in their applications in physics. Currently, I am studying the divergent series that…
Max Lonysa Muller
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Does Unruh Radiation replace the cosmic horizon radiation?

A recent paper, titled Inertia from an Asymmetric Casimir Effect, discusses the universal horizons relative to an accelerating observer (Rindler space). A figure it used to demonstrate its point challenged a view I held. I previously asked a…
Alan Rominger
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Calculating $\mathrm{Tr}[\log \Delta_F]$

I am stuck with this problem for quite sometime. I have a propagator in the momentum representation (from this Phys.SE question), which looks like $$ \widetilde\Delta_F(p) = \frac{1}{(p^0)^2-\left(\left(n\pi/L\right)^2+m^2\right)+i\epsilon} $$ I…
user35952
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Analytical continuation as regularization in Quantum Field Theory, the remaining questions

There is an old question posted (Regularization) which did not get an answer, about the validation of analytic continuation as regularization. It did get some discussion in the comments, referring to Terence Tao's blog T.Tao, but questions seem to…
Jos Bergervoet
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How does dynamic casimir effect generate correlated photons?

There is a recent paper on arxiv receiving lot of acclaim http://arxiv.org/abs/1105.4714 The authors experimentally show that moving a mirror of a cavity at high speeds produces light from high vacuum. The usual doubts about the experimental…
New Horizon
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Casimir forces and its associated Feynman propagator

This is a continuation to my previous question, in which I began an attempt solve the Casimir Force problem using path integrals. As one of the answers there suggest I solve the Feynman propagator subject to the boundary conditions $x=0$ and $x=L$…
user35952
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Resultant curvature tensor from the Casimir Effect

I've often seen the Casimir effect cited as a source of negative energy/exotic matter with regards to ideas like the Alcubierre drive. The articles then go on to note that the energy required by the Alcubierre drive is orders of magnitude more than…
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