Boundaries immersed in a scalar quantum field

被引:15
作者
Actor, AA [1 ]
Bender, I [1 ]
机构
[1] UNIV HEIDELBERG, INST HOCHENERGIEPHYS, D-69120 HEIDELBERG, GERMANY
来源
FORTSCHRITTE DER PHYSIK-PROGRESS OF PHYSICS | 1996年 / 44卷 / 04期
关键词
CASIMIR SELF-STRESS; CONDUCTING PLATES; COSMOLOGICAL CONSTANT; FINITE-TEMPERATURE; VACUUM STRESS; ENERGY; ELECTRODYNAMICS;
D O I
10.1002/prop.2190440402
中图分类号
O4 [物理学];
学科分类号
0702 ;
摘要
We study the interaction between a scalar quantum field (phi) over cap (x), and many different boundary configurations constructed from (parallel and orthogonal) thin planar surfaces on which (phi) over cap (x) is constrained to vanish, or to satisfy Neumann conditions. For most of these boundaries the Casimir problem has not previously been investigated. We calculate the canonical and improved vacuum stress tensors [(T-mu upsilon) over cap (x)] and [<(Theta(mu upsilon))over cap>(x)] of (phi) over cap (x) for each example. From these we obtain the local Casimir forces on all boundary planes. For massless fields, both vacuum stress tensors yield identical attractive local Casimir forces in all Dirichlet examples considered. This desirable outcome is not a priori obvious, given the quite different features of [(T-mu upsilon) over cap (x)] and [<(Theta(mu upsilon))over cap>(x)]. For Neumann conditions, [(T-mu upsilon) over cap (x)] and [<(Theta(mu upsilon))over cap>(x)] lead to attractive Casimir stresses which are not always the same. We also consider Dirichlet and Neumann boundaries immersed in a common scalar quantum field, and find that these repel. The extensive catalogue of worked examples presented here belongs to a large class of completely solvable Casimir problems. Casimir forces previously unknown are predicted, among them ones which might be measurable.
引用
收藏
页码:281 / 322
页数:42
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