In this paper we compute the leading order Casimir energy for the electromagnetic field (EM) in an open ended perfectly conducting rectangular waveguide in three spatial dimensions by a direct approach. For this purpose we first obtain the second quantized expression for the EM field with boundary conditions which would be appropriate for a waveguide. We then obtain the Casimir energy by two different procedures. Our main approach does not contain any analytic continuation techniques. The second approach involves the routine zeta function regularization along with some analytic continuation techniques. Our two approaches yield identical results. This energy has been calculated previously for the EM field in a rectangular waveguide using an indirect approach invoking analogies between EM fields and massless scalar fields, and using complicated analytic continuation techniques, and the results are identical to ours. We have also calculated the pressures on different sides and the total Casimir energy per unit length, and plotted these quantities as a function of the cross-sectional dimensions of the waveguide. We also present a physical discussion about the rather peculiar effect of the change in the sign of the pressures as a function of the shape of the cross-sectional area.
In this paper, we presented the zero- and first-order radiative corrections to the Casimir energy for a massive scalar field confined with Dirichlet boundary condition in an open-ended rectangular waveguide. In the calculation procedure, we applied a systematic renormalization program that allows all influences imposed by dominant boundary conditions in a problem be automatically reflected in the counterterms, leading the counterterms to be obtained in a position-dependent manner. To remove the appeared divergences in the computation task, the Box Subtraction Scheme as a regularization techniq…
We derive rigorously explicit formulas of the Casimir free energy at finite temperature for massless scalar field and electromagnetic field confined in a closed rectangular cavity with different boundary conditions by zeta regularization method. We study both the low and high temperature expansions of the free energy. In each case, we write the free energy as a sum of a polynomial in temperature plus exponentially decay terms. We show that the free energy is always a decreasing function of temperature. In the cases of massless scalar field with Dirichlet boundary condition and electromagnetic …
Using the heat kernel method and the analytic continuation of the zeta function, we calculate the canonical and improved vacuum stress tensors, ${T_{μν}(\vec{x})}$ and ${Θ_{μν}(\vec{x})}$, associated with a massless scalar field confined in the interior of an infinitely long rectangular waveguide. The local depence of the renormalized energy for two special configurations when the total energy is positive and negative are presented using ${T_{00}(\vec{x})}$ and ${Θ_{00}(\vec{x})}$. From the stress tensors we obtain the local Casimir forces in all walls by introducing a particular external conf…
An analysis of the one-loop vacuum fluctuations associated with a scalar field confined in the interior of a infinite waveguide of rectangular cross section is presented. We first consider the massless scalar field defined in a four-dimensional Euclidean space. To identify the infinities of the vacuum fluctuations we use a combination of dimensinal and zeta function analytic regularization procedures. The infinities which occur in the one-loop vacuum fluctuations fall into two distinct classes: ultraviolet divergences that are renormalized by the introduction of bulk counterterms and also surf…
The Casimir force due to {\it thermal} fluctuations (or pseudo-Casimir force) was previously calculated for the perfect Bose gas in the slab geometry for various boundary conditions. The Casimir pressure due to {\it quantum} fluctuations in a weakly-interacting dilute Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) confined to a parallel plate geometry was recently calculated for Dirichlet boundary conditions. In this paper we calculate the Casimir energy and pressure due to quantum fluctuations in a zero-temperature homogeneous weakly-interacting dilute BEC confined to a parallel plate geometry with periodic …
The energy of a perfectly conducting rectangular cavity is studied by making use of pistons' interactions. The exact solution for a 3D perfectly conducting piston with an arbitrary cross section is being discussed.
We reexamine the Casimir effect for the rectangular cavity with two or three equal edges in the presence of compactified universal extra dimension. We derive the expressions for the Casimir energy and discuss the nature of Casimir force. We show the extra-dimension corrections to the standard Casimir effect.
Zeta function regularization is an effective method to extract physical significant quantities from infinite ones. It is regarded as mathematically simple and elegant but the isolation of the physical divergency is hidden in its analytic continuation. By contrast, Abel-Plana formula method permits explicit separation of divergent terms. In regularizing the Casimir energy for a massless scalar field in a $D$-dimensional rectangular box, we give the rigorous proof of the equivalence of the two methods by deriving the reflection formula of Epstein zeta function from repeatedly application of Abel…
Applying the general framework for local zeta regularization proposed in Part I of this series of papers, we compute the renormalized vacuum expectation value of several observables (in particular, of the stress-energy tensor and of the total energy) for a massless scalar field confined within a rectangular box of arbitrary dimension.
The generation of photons in a three dimensional rectangular cavity with two moving boundaries is studied by using the Multiple Scale Analysis (MSA). It is shown that number of photons are enhanced for the cavity whose walls oscillate symmetrically with respect to the center of the cavity. The non-stationary Casimir effect is also discussed for the cavity which oscillates as a whole.
We reconsider the thermal scalar Casimir effect for $p$-dimensional rectangular cavity inside $D+1$-dimensional Minkowski space-time. We derive rigorously the regularization of the temperature-dependent part of the free energy by making use of the Abel-Plana formula repeatedly and get the explicit expression of the terms to be subtracted. In the cases of $D$=3, $p$=1 and $D$=3, $p$=3, we precisely recover the results of parallel plates and three-dimensional box in the literature. Furthermore, for $D>p$ and $D=p$ cases with periodic, Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions, we give the explic…
We show through Schwinger's approach that in a static weak gravitational background, the Casimir Energy for a real massless scalar field obeying Dirichlet boundary conditions on rectangular plates is unaltered from it's flat space-time value. The result is obtained considering an rather general class of backgrounds, adding further generality and consistency test for the previous work. The proposed result has direct consequences on earlier works in the literature that found gravity related corrections for similar setups.
The Casimir effect for rectangular boxes has been studied for several decades. But there are still some points unclear. Recently, there are new developments related to this topic, including the demonstration of the equivalence of the regularization methods and the clarification of the ambiguity in the regularization of the temperature-dependent free energy. Also, the interesting quantum spring was raised stemming from the topological Casimir effect of the helix boundary conditions. We review these developments together with the general derivation of the Casimir energy of the $p$-dimensional ca…
We introduce a useful approach to find asymptotically explicit expressions for the Casimir free energy at large temperature. The resulting expressions contain the classical terms as well as the few first terms of the corresponding heat-kernel expansion, as expected. This technique works well for many familiar configurations in Euclidean as well as non-Euclidean spaces. By utilizing this approach, we provide some new numerically considerable results for the Casimir pressure in some rectangular ideal-metal cavities. For instance, we show that at sufficiently large temperature, the Casimir pressu…
We consider Casimir force acting on a three dimensional rectangular piston due to a massive scalar field subject to periodic, Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions. Exponential cut-off method is used to derive the Casimir energy in the interior region and the exterior region separated by the piston. It is shown that the divergent term of the Casimir force acting on the piston due to the interior region cancels with that due to the exterior region, thus render a finite well-defined Casimir force acting on the piston. Explicit expressions for the total Casimir force acting on the piston is d…
New exact results are given for the interior Casimir energies of infinitely long waveguides of triangular cross section (equilateral, hemiequilateral, and isosceles right triangles). Results for cylinders of rectangular cross section are rederived. In particular, results are obtained for interior modes belonging to Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions (TM and TE modes). These results are expressed in rapidly convergent series using the Chowla-Selberg formula, and in fact may be given in closed form, except for general rectangles. The energies are finite because only the first three heat-k…
We evaluate the Casimir vacuum energy at finite temperature associated with the Maxwell field confined by a perfectly conducting rectangular cavity and show that an extended version of the temperature inversion symmetry is present in this system.
We use a point-matching approach to numerically compute the Casimir interaction energy for a two perfect-conductor waveguide of arbitrary section. We present the method and describe the procedure used to obtain the numerical results. At first, our technique is tested for geometries with known solutions, such as concentric and eccentric cylinders. Then, we apply the point-matching technique to compute the Casimir interaction energy for new geometries such as concentric corrugated cylinders and cylinders inside conductors with focal lines.
In this paper we consider a Lorentz-breaking scalar field theory within the Horava-Lifshtz approach. We investigate the changes that a space-time anisotropy produces in the Casimir effect. A massless real quantum scalar field is considered in two distinct situations: between two parallel plates and inside a rectangular two-dimensional box. In both cases we have adopted specific boundary conditions on the field at the boundary. As we shall see, the energy and the Casimir force strongly depends on the parameter associated with the breaking of Lorentz symmetry and also on the boundary conditions.
Non-trivial $ϕ^{4}$-theory is studied in a renormalisation group invariant approach inside a box consisting of rectangular plates and where the scalar modes satisfy periodic boundary conditions at the plates. It is found that the Casimir energy exponentially approaches the infinite volume limit, the decay rate given by the scalar condensate. It therefore essentially differs from the power law of a free theory. This might provide experimental access to properties of the non-trivial vacuum. At small interplate distances the system can no longer tolerate a scalar condensate, and a first order pha…
We study the leading long-distance attractive force between two holes in a plate arising from a scalar field with Dirichlet boundary conditions on the plate. We use a formalism in which the interaction is governed by a non-local field theory which lives on the two holes. The interaction energy is proportional to Q_1 Q_2/r^7 at large separation r, where Q_1 and Q_2 are certain charges associated with the holes. We compute these charges for round and rectangular holes. We show that the 1/r^7 behavior is universal for separations large compared to the linear dimensions of the holes, irrespective …
Quantum fluctuations of massless scalar fields represented by quantum fluctuations of the quasiparticle vacuum in a zero-temperature dilute Bose-Einstein condensate may well provide the first experimental arena for measuring the Casimir force of a field other than the electromagnetic field. This would constitute a real Casimir force measurement - due to quantum fluctuations - in contrast to thermal fluctuation effects. We develop a multidimensional cut-off technique for calculating the Casimir energy of massless scalar fields in $d$-dimensional rectangular spaces with $q$ large dimensions and …
A pedagogical introduction to the heat kernel technique, zeta function and Casimir effect is presented. Several applications are considered. First we derive the high temperature asymptotics of the free energy for boson fields in terms of the heat kernel expansion and zeta function. Another application is chiral anomaly for local (MIT bag) boundary conditions. Then we rederive the Casimir energies for perfectly conducting rectangular cavities using a new technique. The new results for the attractive Casimir force acting on each of the two perfectly conducting plates inside an infinite perfectly…
