38 research outputs found
The Casimir force between metallic mirrors
In order to compare recent experimental results with theoretical predictions
we study the influence of finite conductivity of metals on the Casimir effect.
The correction to the Casimir force and energy due to imperfect reflection and
finite temperature are evaluated for plane metallic plates where the dielectric
functions of the metals are modeled by a plasma model. The results are compared
with the common approximation where conductivity and thermal corrections are
evaluated separately and simply multiplied.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, contribution to MG9 proceeding
The Casimir effect in the nanoworld
The Casimir effect is a force arising in the macroscopic world as a result of
radiation pressure of vacuum fluctuations. It thus plays a key role in the
emerging domain of nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS). This role is
reviewed in the present paper, with discussions of the influence of the
material properties of the mirrors, as well as the geometry dependence of the
Casimir effect between corrugated mirrors. In particular, the lateral component
of the Casimir force and restoring torque between metal plates with misaligned
corrugations are evaluated.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, contribution to CEWQO 2007 proceeding
The Casimir force between rough metallic plates
The Casimir force between two metallic plates is affected by their roughness
state. This effect is usually calculated through the so-called `proximity force
approximation' which is only valid for small enough wavevectors in the spectrum
of the roughness profile. We introduce here a more general description with a
wavevector-dependent roughness sensitivity of the Casimir effect. Since the
proximity force approximation underestimates the effect, a measurement of the
roughness spectrum is needed to achieve the desired level of accuracy in the
theory-experiment comparison.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, epl style, minor change
Casimir interaction between a dielectric nanosphere and a metallic plane
We study the Casimir interaction between a dielectric nanosphere and a
metallic plane, using the multiple scattering theory. Exact results are
obtained with the dielectric described by a Sellmeier model and the metal by a
Drude model. Asymptotic forms are discussed for small spheres, large or small
distances. The well-known Casimir-Polder formula is recovered at the limit of
vanishingly small spheres, while an expression better behaved at small
distances is found for any finite value of the radius. The exact results are of
particular interest for the study of quantum states of nanospheres in the
vicinity of surfaces.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Temperature dependence of the Casimir effect between metallic mirrors
We calculate the Casimir force and free energy for plane metallic mirrors at
non-zero temperature. Numerical evaluations are given with temperature and
conductivity effects treated simultaneously. The results are compared with the
approximation where both effects are treated independently and the corrections
simply multiplied. The deviation between the exact and approximated results
takes the form of a temperature dependent function for which an analytical
expression is given. The knowledge of this function allows simple and accurate
estimations at the % level.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, uses RevTe