Casimir effect with one large extra dimension

In this work, I study the Casimir effect of a massive complex scalar field in the presence of one large compactified extra dimension. I investigate the case of a scalar field confined between two parallel plates in the macroscopic three dimensions, and examine the cases of Dirichlet and mixed (Dirichlet–Neumann) boundary conditions on the plates. The case of Neumann boundary conditions is uninteresting, since it yields the same result as the case of Dirichlet boundary conditions. The scalar field also permeates a fourth compactified dimension of a size that could be comparable to the distance between the plates. This investigation is carried out using the [Formula: see text]-function regularization technique that allows me to obtain exact expressions for the Casimir energy and pressure. I discover that when the compactified length of the extra dimension is similar to the plate distance, or slightly larger, the Casimir energy and pressure become significantly different than their standard three-dimensional values, for either Dirichlet or mixed boundary conditions. Therefore, the Casimir effect of a quantum field that permeates a compactified fourth dimension could be used as an effective tool to explore the existence of large compactified extra dimensions.

Gravitational bending angle with finite distances by Casimir wormholes

In this paper, we investigate the gravitational bending angle due to the Casimir wormholes, which consider the Casimir energy as the source. Furthermore, some of these Casimir wormholes regard Generalized Uncertainty Principle (GUP) corrections of Casimir energy. We use the Ishihara method for the Jacobi metric, which allows us to study the bending angle of light and massive test particles for finite distances. Beyond the uncorrected Casimir source, we consider many GUP corrections, namely, the Kempf, Mangano and Mann (KMM) model, the Detournay, Gabriel and Spindel (DGS) model, and the so-called type II model for the GUP principle. We also find the deflection angle of light and massive particles in the case of the receiver and the source are far away from the lens. In this case, we also compute the optical scalars: convergence and shear for these Casimir wormholes as a gravitational weak lens. Our self-consistent iterative calculations indicate corrections to the bending angle by Casimir wormholes in the previous paper.

The 4d superconformal index near roots of unity and 3d Chern-Simons theory

We consider the S3×S1 superconformal index ℐ(τ) of 4d $$ \mathcal{N} $$ N = 1 gauge theories. The Hamiltonian index is defined in a standard manner as the Witten index with a chemical potential τ coupled to a combination of angular momenta on S3 and the U(1) R-charge. We develop the all-order asymptotic expansion of the index as q = e2πiτ approaches a root of unity, i.e. as $$ \overset{\sim }{\tau } $$ τ ~ ≡ mτ+n → 0, with m, n relatively prime integers. The asymptotic expansion of log ℐ(τ) has terms of the form $$ \overset{\sim }{\tau } $$ τ ~ k, k = −2, −1, 0, 1. We determine the coefficients of the k = −2, −1, 1 terms from the gauge theory data, and provide evidence that the k = 0 term is determined by the Chern-Simons partition function on S3/ℤm. We explain these findings from the point of view of the 3d theory obtained by reducing the 4d gauge theory on the S1. The supersymmetric functional integral of the 3d theory takes the form of a matrix integral over the dynamical 3d fields, with an effective action given by supersymmetrized Chern-Simons couplings of background and dynamical gauge fields. The singular terms in the $$ \overset{\sim }{\tau } $$ τ ~ → 0 expansion (dictating the growth of the 4d index) are governed by the background Chern-Simons couplings. The constant term has a background piece as well as a piece given by the localized functional integral over the dynamical 3d gauge multiplet. The linear term arises from the supersymmetric Casimir energy factor needed to go between the functional integral and the Hamiltonian index.

One-loop correction to the Casimir energy in Lifshitz-like theory

In this paper, Radiative Correction (RC) to the Casimir energy was computed for the self-interacting massive/massless Lifshitz-like scalar field, confined between a pair of plates with Dirichlet and Mixed boundary conditions in 3 + 1 dimensions. Moreover, using the results obtained for the Dirichlet Casimir energy, the RC to the Casimir energy for Periodic and Neumann boundary conditions were also draw outed. To renormalize the bare parameters of the Lagrangian, a systematic perturbation expansion was used in which the counterterms were automatically obtained in a position-dependent manner. In our view, the position dependency of the counterterm was allowed, since it reflected the effects of the boundary condition imposed or the background space in the problem. All the answers obtained for the Casimir energy were consistent with well-known physical expects. In a language of graphs, the Casimir energy for the massive Lifshitz-like scalar field confined with four boundary conditions (Dirichlet, Neumann, Mixed, and Periodic) was also compared to each other, and as a concluding remark, the sign and magnitude of their values were discussed.

Thermal effects on the Casimir energy of a Lorentz-violating scalar in magnetic field

In this work, I investigate the finite temperature Casimir effect due to a massive and charged scalar field that breaks Lorentz invariance in a CPT-even, aether-like way. I study the cases of Dirichlet and mixed (Dirichlet–Neumann) boundary conditions on a pair of parallel plates. I will not examine the case of Neumann boundary conditions since it produces the same results as Dirichlet boundary conditions. The main tool used in this investigation is the [Formula: see text]-function technique that allows me to obtain the Helmholtz free energy and Casimir pressure in the presence of a uniform magnetic field perpendicular to the plates. Three cases of Lorentz asymmetry are studied: timelike, spacelike and perpendicular to the magnetic field, spacelike and parallel to the magnetic field. Asymptotic cases of small plate distance, high temperature, strong magnetic field, and large mass will be considered for each of the three types of Lorentz asymmetry and each of the two types of boundary conditions examined. In all these cases, simple and very accurate analytic expressions of the thermal corrections to the Casimir energy and pressure are obtained and I discover that these corrections strongly depend on the direction of the unit vector that produces the breaking of the Lorentz symmetry.

Remarks on Some Results Related to the Thermal Casimir Effect in Einstein and Closed Friedmann Universes with a Cosmic String

In this paper, we present a review of some recent results concerning the thermal corrections to the Casimir energy of massless scalar, electromagnetic, and massless spinor fields in the Einstein and closed Friedmann universes with a cosmic string. In the case of a massless scalar field, it is shown that the Casimir energy can be written as a simple sum of two terms; the first one corresponds to the Casimir energy for the massless scalar field in the Einstein and Friedmann universes without a cosmic string, whereas the second one is simply the Casimir energy of the electromagnetic in this background, multiplied by a parameter λ=(1/α)−1, where α is a constant that codifies the presence of the cosmic string, and is related to its linear mass density, μ, by the expression α=1−Gμ. The Casimir free energy and the internal energy at a temperature different from zero, as well as the Casimir entropy, are given by similar sums. In the cases of the electromagnetic and massless spinor fields, the Casimir energy, free energy, internal energy, and Casimir entropy are also given by the sum of two terms, similarly to the previous cases, but now with both terms related to the same field. Using the results obtained concerning the mentioned thermodynamic quantities, their behavior at high and low temperatures limits are studied. All these results are particularized to the scenario in which the cosmic string is absent. Some discussions concerning the validity of the Nernst heat theorem are included as well.

Worldline numerics applied to custom Casimir geometry generates unanticipated intersection with Alcubierre warp metric

While conducting analysis related to a DARPA-funded project to evaluate possible structure of the energy density present in a Casimir cavity as predicted by the dynamic vacuum model, a micro/nano-scale structure has been discovered that predicts negative energy density distribution that closely matches requirements for the Alcubierre metric. The simplest notional geometry being analyzed as part of the DARPA-funded work consists of a standard parallel plate Casimir cavity equipped with pillars arrayed along the cavity mid-plane with the purpose of detecting a transient electric field arising from vacuum polarization conjectured to occur along the midplane of the cavity. An analytic technique called worldline numerics was adapted to numerically assess vacuum response to the custom Casimir cavity, and these numerical analysis results were observed to be qualitatively quite similar to a two-dimensional representation of energy density requirements for the Alcubierre warp metric. Subsequently, a toy model consisting of a 1 $$\upmu $$ μ m diameter sphere centrally located in a 4 $$\upmu $$ μ m diameter cylinder was analyzed to show a three-dimensional Casimir energy density that correlates well with the Alcubierre warp metric requirements. This qualitative correlation would suggest that chip-scale experiments might be explored to attempt to measure tiny signatures illustrative of the presence of the conjectured phenomenon: a real, albeit humble, warp bubble.

The Casimir Interaction between Spheres Immersed in Electrolytes

We investigate the Casimir interaction between two dielectric spheres immersed in an electrolyte solution. Since ionized solutions typically correspond to a plasma frequency much smaller than kBT/ℏ at room temperature, only the contribution of the zeroth Matsubara frequency is affected by ionic screening. We follow the electrostatic fluctuational approach and derive the zero-frequency contribution from the linear Poisson-Boltzmann (Debye-Hückel) equation for the geometry of two spherical surfaces of arbitrary radii. We show that a contribution from monopole fluctuations, which is reminiscent of the Kirkwood-Shumaker interaction, arises from the exclusion of ionic charge in the volume occupied by the spheres. Alongside the contribution from dipole fluctuations, such monopolar term provides the leading-order Casimir energy for very small spheres. Finally, we also investigate the large sphere limit and the conditions for validity of the proximity force (Derjaguin) approximation. Altogether, our results represent the first step towards a full scattering approach to the screening of the Casimir interaction between spheres that takes into account the nonlocal response of the electrolyte solution.

A surprising similarity between holographic CFTs and a free fermion in (2 + 1) dimensions

We compare the behavior of the vacuum free energy (i.e. the Casimir energy) of various (2 + 1)-dimensional CFTs on an ultrastatic spacetime as a function of the spatial geometry. The CFTs we consider are a free Dirac fermion, the conformally-coupled scalar, and a holographic CFT, and we take the spatial geometry to be an axisymmetric deformation of the round sphere. The free energies of the fermion and of the scalar are computed numerically using heat kernel methods; the free energy of the holographic CFT is computed numerically from a static, asymptotically AdS dual geometry using a novel approach we introduce here. We find that the free energy of the two free theories is qualitatively similar as a function of the sphere deformation, but we also find that the holographic CFT has a remarkable and mysterious quantitative similarity to the free fermion; this agreement is especially surprising given that the holographic CFT is strongly-coupled. Over the wide ranges of deformations for which we are able to perform the computations accurately, the scalar and fermion differ by up to 50% whereas the holographic CFT differs from the fermion by less than one percent.

Algebraic Approach to Casimir Force Between Two $$\delta $$-like Potentials

We analyse the Casimir effect of two nonsingular centers of interaction in three space dimensions, using the framework developed by Herdegen. Our model is mathematically well-defined and all physical quantities are finite. We also consider a scaling limit, in which the problem tends to that with two Dirac $$\delta $$ δ ’s. In this limit the global Casimir energy diverges, but we obtain its asymptotic expansion, which turns out to be model dependent. On the other hand, outside singular supports of $$\delta $$ δ ’s the limit of energy density is a finite universal function (independent of the details of the nonsingular model before scaling). These facts confirm the conclusions obtained earlier for other systems within the approach adopted here: the form of the global Casimir force is usually dominated by the modification of the quantum state in the vicinity of macroscopic bodies.