Casimir-Like Effect from Thermal Field Fluctuations

Abstract

Landau-Ginzburg ϕ4 field theory is usually applied to systems for understanding continuous phase transitions at critical points. Here, we analyse thermal field using similar free energy description in statistical field theory perspective, and study fluctuations in such a field with particular focus on realizing thermal Casimir effect. Initially, we qualitatively describe emergence of Casimir-like effect using mean-field approximation and further derive it using coarse-graining of perturbative renormalization procedure in the vicinity of Gaussian-fixed point. These results may lead to further the understanding of Casimir effect from scalar fields without employing the concept of zero-point energy in a cosmological sense.