Casimir Effect Research Articles

Impurities with a cusp: general theory and 3d Ising

In CFTs, the partition function of a line defect with a cusp depends logarithmically on the size of the line with an angle-dependent coefficient: the cusp anomalous dimension. In the first part of this work, we study the general properties of the cusp anomalous dimension. We relate the small cusp angle limit to the effective field theory of defect fusion, making predictions for the first couple of terms in the expansion. Using a concavity property of the cusp anomalous dimension we argue that the Casimir energy between a line defect and its orientation reversal is always negative (“opposites attract”). We use these results to determine the fusion algebra of Wilson lines in N\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{N} $$\\end{document} = 4 SYM as well as pinning field defects in the Wilson-Fisher fixed points. In the second part of the paper we obtain nonperturbative numerical results for the cusp anomalous dimension of pinning field defects in the Ising model in d = 3, using the recently developed fuzzy-sphere regularization. We also compute the pinning field cusp anomalous dimension in the O(N) model at one-loop in the ε-expansion. Our results are in agreement with the general theory developed in the first part of the work, and we make several predictions for impurities in magnets.

Foundational Issues in Dynamical Casimir Effect and Analogue Features in Cosmological Particle Creation

Foundational Issues in Dynamical Casimir Effect and Analogue Features in Cosmological Particle Creation

Influence of GUP corrected Casimir energy on zero tidal force wormholes in modified teleparallel gravity with matter coupling

In recent times, the study of the Casimir effect in quantum field theory has garnered increasing attention because of its potential to be an ideal source of exotic matter needed for stabilizing traversable wormholes. It has been confirmed through experimental evidence that this phenomenon involves fluctuations in the vacuum field, leading to a negative energy density. Motivated by the above, we have investigated Casimir wormholes with corrections from the Generalized Uncertainty Principle (GUP) within the framework of matter-coupled teleparallel gravity. Our analysis includes three well-known GUP models: the Kempf, Mangano, and Mann (KMM) model, the Detournay, Gabriel, and Spindel (DGS) model, and a third model called Model II. For a broader analysis, we have considered two well-known model functions for the teleparallel theory: a linear f(T,T)=αT+βT\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$f(T,\\mathcal {T})=\\alpha T+\\beta \\mathcal {T}$$\\end{document} and a quadratic model f(T,T)=ηT2+χT\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$f(T,\\mathcal {T})=\\eta T^2+\\chi \\mathcal {T}$$\\end{document}. The shape function solutions corresponding to both models are examined in the absence of tidal forces in spacetime. We also demonstrate the crucial role played by the parameters of the f(T,T)\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$f(T,\\mathcal {T})$$\\end{document} models in the violation of the energy conditions. With the increasing interest in detecting gravitational waves from astrophysical objects, we have thoroughly discussed the perturbation of the wormhole solutions in the scalar, electromagnetic, axial gravitational, and Dirac field backgrounds. We employ the 3rd order WKB expansion to find the complex frequencies associated with the quasinormal modes of energy dissipation. Additionally, we also calculate the active mass and total gravitational energy for the wormhole geometry. The amount of exotic matter involved in sustaining these wormholes is also found in this paper. Furthermore, the physical stability of such Casimir wormholes is examined using the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff equation.

Casimir force tuning in 2D materials: effect of rotation in phosphorene

We theoretically examine the Casimir force with Lifshitz theory for two-dimensional media: graphene and phosphorene. We calculate the Casimir force for three different configurations: (a) phosphorene-graphene, (b) phosphorene-phosphorene (with rotation), and (c) a system composed of gold and a two-dimensional material (graphene or phosphorene). According to our calculations, we have determined that systems consisting solely of two-dimensional media can reduce the magnitude of the Casimir force by half or more, in comparison to systems composed of two-dimensional material and gold. The results show that in phosphorene configurations, high frequencies play a dominant role in contributing to the Casimir force, allowing greater force magnitudes for low interlayer distances compared to systems composed of gold or graphene. Our calculations also show that, as a result of the anisotropy of the phosphorene layers, it is possible to design a mechanical modulator with only two phosphorene layers by considering a relative rotation between them by an angle θ. In this regard, the anisotropy of phosphorene and the modulation of the separation between the phosphorene layers make it possible to tune the amplitude of Casimir force. The proposed configurations could lead to the development of nanotechnology applications incorporating 2D materials into their structures.

Casimir effect of a doubly Lorentz-violating scalar in magnetic field

Casimir effect of a doubly Lorentz-violating scalar in magnetic field

Fermionic Casimir energy in Horava–Lifshitz scenario

In this work, we investigate the violation of Lorentz symmetry through the Casimir effect, one of the most intriguing phenomena in modern physics. The Casimir effect, which represents a macroscopic quantum force between two neutral conducting surfaces, is widely regarded as a triumph of Quantum Field Theory. In this study, we present new results for the Casimir effect, focusing on the contribution of mass associated with fermionic quantum fields confined between two large parallel plates, in the context of Lorentz symmetry violation within the Horava–Lifshitz formalism. To calculate the Casimir energy and pressure, we impose a MIT bag boundary condition on the two plates, compatible with the higher-order derivative term in the modified Dirac equation. Our results reveal a strong influence of Lorentz violation on the Casimir effect. We observe that the Casimir energy is significantly affected, both in intensity and sign, potentially resulting in a repulsive or attractive force between the plates, depending on the critical exponent associated with the Horava–Lifshitz formalism.

Casimir wormholes inspired by electric charge in Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet gravity

This investigation assesses the feasibility of a traversable wormhole by examining the energy densities associated with charged Casimir phenomena. We focus on the influence of the electromagnetic field created by an electric charge as well as the negative energy density arising from the Casimir source. We have developed different shape functions by defining energy densities from this combination. This paper explores various configurations of Casimir energy densities, specifically those occurring between parallel plates, cylinders and spheres positioned at specified distances from each other. Furthermore, the impact of the generalized uncertainty principle correction is also examined. The behavior of wormhole conditions is evaluated based on the Gauss–Bonnet coupled parameter (μ) and electric charge (Q) through the electromagnetic energy density constraint. This is attributed to the fact that the electromagnetic field satisfies the characteristic ρ = −p r . Subsequently, we examine the active gravitational mass of the generated wormhole geometries and explore the behavior of μ and Q concerning active mass. The embedding representations for all formulated shape functions are examined. Investigations of the complexity factor of the charged Casimir wormhole have demonstrated that the values of the complexity factor consistently fall within a particular range in all scenarios. Finally, using the generalized Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff equation, we examine the stability of the resulting charged Casimir wormhole solutions.

Dynamical Casimir effect with screened scalar fields

Understanding the nature of dark energy and dark matter is one of modern physics' greatest open problems. Scalar-tensor theories with screened scalar fields like the chameleon model are among the most popular proposed solutions. In this article, we present the first analysis of the impact of a chameleon field on the dynamical Casimir effect, whose main feature is the particle production associated with a resonant condition of boundary periodic motion in cavities. For this, we employ a recently developed method to compute the evolution of confined quantum scalar fields in a globally hyperbolic spacetime by means of time-dependent Bogoliubov transformations. As a result, we show that particle production is reduced due to the presence of the chameleon field. In addition, our results for the Bogoliubov coefficients and the mean number of created particles agree with known results in the absence of a chameleon field. Our results initiate the discussion of the evolution of quantum fields on screened scalar field backgrounds.

Dynamical Casimir effects: The need for nonlocality in time-varying dispersive nanophotonics

Dynamical Casimir effects: The need for nonlocality in time-varying dispersive nanophotonics

N\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{N} $$\\end{document} = 4 SYM line defect Schur index and semiclassical string

The giant graviton expansion of the line defect Schur index in four dimensional N4\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{N}4 $$\\end{document} U(N) SYM was recently proposed in arXiv:2403.11543 to be captured in the dual string theory by counting fluctuations states of two half-infinite fundamental strings in AdS5 × S5 ending on the line defect and D3 brane giant. However, agreement with the gauge theory data for the defect line index at finite N required the inclusion of ad hoc extra contributions with unclear origin. We discuss the large N leading order contribution of the giant graviton expansion of the defect line index by a direct analysis of semiclassical string partition function in a twisted background. We discuss supersymmetric boundary conditions in the presence of the D3 brane and evaluate the quadratic fluctuations effective action by introducing a suitable projection of fluctuation modes. We show that the extra contributions to the single giant graviton correction found in arXiv:2403.11543 correspond to a supersymmetric Casimir energy contribution.

On (A)dS solutions from Scherk-Schwarz orbifolds

We investigate the existence of dS vacua in supersymmetry-breaking Scherk-Schwarz toroidal compactifications of type II string theory, using the well-understood ingredients of curvature, fluxes and 1-loop Casimir energy. Starting from the 10d equations, we derive a series of no-go theorems and existence conditions for dS, and present two explicit, fully-backreacted, solutions: a dS one, which turns out to be not under control, and an AdS one, which can be chosen at arbitrarily weak coupling and large volume by dialling the unbounded fluxes. We then use a lower-dimensional EFT description to show that any dS solution has a universal tachyon and no parametric control. The simplest AdS solutions are also perturbatively unstable. We extend the no-go theorems to slow-roll acceleration and test various swampland conjectures in our non-supersymmetric string setup. The question of numerically controlled, unstable dS is left open.

Casimir energy of hyperbolic orbifolds with conical singularities

In this article, we obtain the explicit expression of the Casimir energy for compact hyperbolic orbifold surfaces in terms of the geometrical data of the surfaces with the help of zeta-regularization techniques. The orbifolds may have finitely many conical singularities. In computing the contribution to the energy from a conical singularity, we derive an expression of an elliptic orbital integral as an infinite sum of special functions. We prove that this sum converges exponentially fast. Additionally, we show that under a natural assumption known to hold asymptotically on the growth of the lengths of primitive closed geodesics of the (2, 3, 7)-triangle group orbifold, its Casimir energy is positive (repulsive).

Pull-in features of nanoswitches in the Casimir regime with account of contact repulsion

The cantilever tip of a nanoswitch in close proximity to the ground plate is considered with account of electrostatic, elastic, van der Waals (Casimir), and also contact repulsive forces. The van der Waals (Casimir) and contact repulsive forces are computed for a Si cantilever and either Au or Ni ground plates using the Lifshitz theory and the method of pairwise summation with account of surface roughness. It is shown that at short separations an impact of the van der Waals (Casimir) force leads to the pull-in and collapse of a cantilever onto the ground plate if the contact repulsion is disregarded. Taking into consideration contact repulsion, the nanoswitch is demonstrated to have the stable cyclic behavior with no pull-in when switching voltage on and off.

Numerical methods for scalar field dark energy in tabletop experiments and Lunar Laser Ranging

Numerous tabletop experiments have been dedicated to exploring the manifestations of screened scalar field dark energy, such as symmetron or chameleon fields. Precise theoretical predictions require simulating field configurations within the respective experiments. This paper focuses onto the less-explored environment-dependent dilaton field, which emerges in the strong coupling limit of string theory. Due to its exponential self-coupling, this field can exhibit significantly steeper slopes compared to symmetron and chameleon fields, and the equations of motion can be challenging to solve with standard machine precision. We present the first exact solution for the geometry of a vacuum region between two infinitely extended parallel plates. This solution serves as a benchmark for testing the accuracy of numerical solvers. By reparametrizing the model and transforming the equations of motion, we show how to make the model computable across the entire experimentally accessible parameter space. To simulate the dilaton field in one- and two-mirror geometries, as well as spherical configurations, we introduce a non-uniform finite difference method. Additionally, we provide an algorithm for solving the stationary Schrödinger equation for a fermion in one dimension in the presence of a dilaton field. The algorithms developed here are not limited to the dilaton field, but can be applied to similar scalar-tensor theories as well. We demonstrate such applications at hand of the chameleon and symmetron field. Our computational tools have practical applications in a variety of experimental contexts, including gravity resonance spectroscopy (q Bounce), Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR), and the upcoming Casimir and Non-Newtonian Force Experiment (cannex). A Mathematica implementation of all algorithms is provided.

Casimir wormholes with GUP correction in the Loop Quantum Cosmology

In this paper, we obtain novel traversable, static, and spherically symmetric wormhole solutions, derived from the effective energy density and isotropic pressure resulting from the Casimir effect, corrected by the Generalized Uncertainty Principle (GUP) within the framework of Loop Quantum Cosmology (LQC). The goal is to explore the interplay between competing quantum gravity effects and quantum vacuum phenomena in the emergence of non-trivial spacetime structures. We examine features such as traversability, embedding diagrams, energy conditions, curvature, and stability of the obtained solutions. Additionally, we analyze the junction conditions required to integrate the wormhole spacetime with an external Schwarzschild spacetime and calculate the amount of exotic matter needed to maintain the wormhole. Finally, we evaluate the conditions under which this latter remains visible or is hidden by the event horizon associated with the Schwarzschild spacetime.

Statistical Thermodynamic Description of Self-Assembly of Large Inclusions in Biological Membranes.

Recent studies revealed anomalous underscreening in concentrated electrolytes, and we suggest that the underscreened electrostatic forces between membrane proteins play a significant role in the process of self-assembly. In this work, we assumed that the underscreened electrostatic forces compete with the thermodynamic Casimir forces induced by concentration fluctuations in the lipid bilayer, and developed a simplified model for a binary mixture of oppositely charged membrane proteins with different preference to liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered domains in the membrane. In the model, like macromolecules interact with short-range Casimir attraction and long-range electrostatic repulsion, and the cross-interaction is of the opposite sign. We determine energetically favored patterns in a system in equilibrium with a bulk reservoir of the macromolecules. Different patterns consisting of clusters and stripes of the two components and of vacancies are energetically favorable for different values of the chemical potentials. Effects of thermal flutuations at low temperature are studied using Monte Carlo simulations in grand canonical and canonical ensembles. For fixed numbers of the macromolecules, a single two-component cluster with a regular pattern coexists with dispersed small one-component clusters, and the number of small clusters depends on the ratio of the numbers of the molecules of the two components. Our results show that the pattern formation is controlled by the shape of the interactions, the density of the proteins, and the proportion of the components.

Casimir energy with perfect electromagnetic boundary conditions and duality: A field-theoretic approach

Using functional integral methods, we study the Casimir effect for the case of two infinite parallel plates in the QED vacuum, with (different) perfect electromagnetic boundary conditions applied to both plates. To enforce these boundary conditions, we add two Lagrange multiplier fields to the action. We subsequently recover the known Casimir energy in two ways: once directly from the path integral and once as the vacuum expectation value of the 00 component of the energy-momentum tensor. Comparing both methods, we show that the energy-momentum tensor must be modified and that it picks up boundary contributions as a consequence. We also discuss electromagnetic duality invariance of the theory and its interplay with the boundaries by generalizing the Deser-Teitelboim implementation of the duality transformation. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Quectonewton Local Force Sensor.

We report on the realization of a quantum sensor based on trapped atom interferometry in an optical lattice for the measurement of atom-surface interactions, with sub-micrometer-level control of the mean atom-surface separation distance. The force sensor reaches a short-term sensitivity of 3.4×10^{-28} N at 1s and a long-term stability of 4qN (4×10^{-30} N). We perform force measurements in the 0-300 μm range, and despite significant stray forces caused by adsorbed atoms on the surface, we obtain evidence of the Casimir-Polder force.

Modeling Electronic Devices with a Casimir Cavity

The Casimir effect has been exploited in various MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system) devices, especially to make sensitive force sensors and accelerometers. It has also been used to provide forces for a variety of purposes, for example, for the assembly of considerably small parts. Repulsive forces and torques have been produced using various configurations of media and materials. Just a few electronic devices have been explored that utilize the electrical properties of the Casimir effect. Recently, experimental results were presented that described the operation of an electronic device that employed a Casimir cavity attached to a standard MIM (metal–insulator–metal) structure. The DC (direct current) conductance of the novel MIM device was enhanced by the attached cavity and found to be directly proportional to the capacitance of the attached cavity. The phenomenological model proposed assumed that the cavity reduced the vacuum fluctuations, which resulted in a reduced injection of carriers. The analysis presented here indicates that the optical cavity actually enhances vacuum fluctuations, which would predict a current in the opposite direction from that observed. Further, the vacuum fluctuations near the electrode are shown to be approximately independent of the size of the optical cavity, in disagreement with the experimental data which show a dependence on the size. Thus, the proposed mechanism of operation does not appear correct. A more detailed theoretical analysis of these devices is needed, in particular, one that uses real material parameters and computes the vacuum fluctuations for the entire device. Such an analysis would reveal how these devices operate and might suggest design principles for a new genre of electronic devices that make use of vacuum fluctuations.

Classical Casimir pressure in the presence of axion dark matter

We study the effects of an oscillating axion field on the pressure between two metallic plates. We consider the situation where a magnetic field parallel to the plates is present and show that the electric field induced by the coupling of the axion to photons leads to resonances. When the boundary plates are perfect conductors, the resonances are infinitely thin whilst they are broadened when the conductivity of the boundary plates is taken into account. The resonances take place at the tower of distances close to dn=(2n+1)πm, where m is the axion mass and have a finite width and height depending on the conductivity. The resulting resonant pressure on the plate depends on the induced polarization at the surface of the plates. We investigate the reach of future Casimir experiments in terms of the axion mass and the conductivity of the boundary plates. We find that for large enough conductivities, the axion-induced pressure could be larger than the quantum Casimir effect between the plates. Published by the American Physical Society 2024