Casimir effect for perfect electromagnetic conductors (PEMCs): A sum rule for attractive/repulsive forces

We discuss the Casimir effect for boundary conditions involving perfect electromagnetic conductors (PEMCs). Based on the corresponding reciprocal Green's tensor we construct the Green's tensor for two perfectly reflecting plates with magnetoelectric coupling (non-reciprocal media) within the framework of macroscopic quantum electrodynamics. We calculate the Casimir force between two PEMC plates in terms of the PEMC parameter M and the duality transformation angle ${\theta}$ resulting in a universal analytic expression that connects the attractive Casimir force with the repulsive Boyer force. We relate the results to the duality symmetry of electromagnetism

Dispersion forces in macroscopic quantum electrodynamics

The description of dispersion forces within the framework of macroscopic quantum electrodynamics in linear, dispersing, and absorbing media combines the benefits of approaches based on normal-mode techniques of standard quantum electrodynamics and methods based on linear response theory in a natural way. It renders generally valid expressions for both the forces between bodies and the forces on atoms in the presence of bodies, while showing very clearly the intimate relation between the different types of dispersion forces. By considering examples, the influence of various factors like form, size, electric and magnetic properties, or intervening media on the forces is addressed. Since the approach based on macroscopic quantum electrodynamics does not only apply to equilibrium systems, it can be used to investigate dynamical effects such as the temporal evolution of forces on arbitrarily excited atoms.Comment: 112 pages, 7 figures, 4 tables, extended versio