Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:2608.16567

Casimir force between plane-layered structures: van Kampen-Schram approach for finite temperature

Michael V. Davidovich

quant-phSubmitted Aug 17, 2026• Announced Aug 18, 2026
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Based on the van Kampen-Schram method, a formula for the Casimir force between two plane-layered structures is obtained, which includes the sum of the Matsubara frequencies and a contour integral. It is shown that the contour integral is not taken into account in the Lifshitz formula. Taking it into account gives a small contribution at high temperatures when the Lifshitz formula is approximately correct. However, at low temperatures, its contribution is significant, and the Lifshitz formula for the finite temperature does not transform into the Lifshitz formula at zero temperature. An example of interaction of metal plates is considered.1

Comments
12 pages, 4 figures

Related papers

Temperature dependence of the Casimir force between plane-layered structures: an approach based on the principle of argument

Michael V. Davidovich

Based on the complex analysis theorem the principle of argument, a temperature-dependent formula for the Casimir-Lifshitz dispersion force of the interaction of two arbitrary plane-layered structures separated by either a vacuum gap of size d or a layer of size d consisting of an arbitrary dissipative dielectric with dispersion is derived. The formula consists of the temperature-dependent Lifshitz formula plus the temperature-dependent contour integral

quant-pharXiv:2610.23354•Oct 19, 2026

On Casimir force between two real metallic plates

Michael V. Davidovich

The corrections to Casimir pressure (force) on two plates of real metal described by the dielectric constant of the Drude, Drude-Lorentz, Drude-Smith and plasma models at the finite temperature and conductivity are considered. We consider the contour integral lost in the Lifshitz formula and discuss inconsistencies for the corrections to the Casimir force given in the literature. Numerical and analytical results in the near and far zones are presented. The two first-order correction obtained due to the actual dielectric constant of the metal coincided with the literature data.

quant-pharXiv:2608.16619•Aug 18, 2026

On the Lifshitz formula of dispersion interaction

Michael V. Davidovich

The Lifshitz formula and methods of its preparation in the literature are considered. It is shown that in Lifshitz's work itself, this formula is given without a consistent conclusion. Moreover, the approach to the conclusion proposed in this work does not allow us to obtain it. The most general conclusion of this formula can be the method proposed by Levin and Rytov, the variation method of Schwinger and the method proposed by Van Kampen and co-authors. The Levin and Rytov approach is applicable in principle to bodies of arbitrary shape if the diffraction loss fields for electric and magnetic dipoles are determined, while the Van Kampen approach is applicable to any plane-layered structure and is quite simple. It is enough to write down the dispersion equations of the plasmon-polaritone structure. The specific dispersion force for a number of structures is calculated based on the Van Kampen method. It is shown that at small gaps, the force (pressure) density changes the inverse fourth-degree dependence on the distance and practically ceases to depend on it at distances less than 1 nm. For thin identical plates, this density is proportional to the square of their thickness at such distances, but the dependence quickly becomes saturated and already at thicknesses of the order of 10 nm practically ceases to depend on it.

quant-pharXiv:2601.07661•Jan 13, 2026

Temperature dependence of the Casimir pressure on two graphene sheets placed on a substrate

Michael V. Davidovich

The dispersion interaction between two infinite sheets of graphene located on a substrate is considered based on the Lifshitz formula, taking temperature into account. The result is obtained in the form of a series that is easy to calculate. The influence of the interband conductivity of graphene, which turned out to be small, is examined.

quant-pharXiv:2609.27864•Aug 21, 2026

Why the Casimir Force for Magnetic Metals Computed by the Lifshitz Theory Using the Drude Model Disagrees with the Measurement Data

G. L. Klimchitskaya, C. C. Korikov, V. M. Mostepanenko

We consider the Casimir force in configurations with magnetic metal plates and analyze the reasons why the predictions of the Lifshitz theory using the dielectric permittivity of the Drude model are inconsistent with the measurement data. For this purpose, the contributions of the electromagnetic waves with the transverse magnetic and transverse electric polarizations to the Casimir force are computed using the Lifshitz theory expressed in terms of the pure imaginary Matsubara frequencies. Furthermore, the fractions of the evanescent and propagating waves in these contributions are found using an equivalent formulation of the Lifshitz theory along the real frequency axis. All computations are performed for Au-Ni and Ni-Ni plates using the Drude model and the experimentally consistent plasma model over the separation region from 0.5 to 6~mum, where the total force value is determined by conduction electrons. It is shown that the transverse magnetic contribution to the Casimir force does not depend on the used model of the dielectric permittivity, so that the total difference between the predictions of the Lifshitz theory using the Drude model and the measurement data is determined by the transverse electric contribution. In doing so, as opposed to the case of nonmagnetic metals, both fractions of the evanescent and propagating waves in this contribution depend on the model of the dielectric permittivity used in computations, whereas the magnetic properties of the plate metal influence the Casimir force solely through the fraction of propagating waves in the transverse electric contribution. The issue of a more adequate theoretical description of the electromagnetic response of magnetic metals is discussed.

quant-pharXiv:2602.16370•Feb 19, 2026

Casimir forces in Bose–Einstein condensates: finite-size effects in three-dimensional rectangular cavities

Ariel Edery

The Casimir force due to thermal fluctuations (or the pseudo-Casimir force) was previously calculated for a perfect Bose gas in the slab geometry for various boundary conditions. The Casimir pressure due to 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 boundary conditions and include higher-order corrections to the leading-order result which we refer to as Bogoliubov corrections. The leading-order term is identified as the Casimir energy of a massless scalar field moving with a wave velocity equal to the speed of sound in the BEC. We then obtain the leading-order Casimir pressure in a general three-dimensional rectangular cavity of arbitrary length and obtain the finite-size correction to the parallel plate scenario.

arXiv:hep-th/0510238•Journal of Statistical Mechanics Theory and Experiment•Jun 8, 2006•27 citations
Based on the van Kampen-Schram method, a formula for the Casimir force between two plane-layered structures is obtained, which includes the sum of the Matsubara frequencies and a contour integral. It is shown that the contour integral is not taken into account in the Lifshitz formula. Taking it into account gives a small contribution at high temperatures when the Lifshitz formula is approximately correct. However, at low temperatures, its contribution is significant, and the Lifshitz formula for the finite temperature does not transform into the Lifshitz formula at zero temperature. An example of interaction of metal plates is considered.1
The corrections to Casimir pressure (force) on two plates of real metal described by the dielectric constant of the Drude, Drude-Lorentz, Drude-Smith and plasma models at the finite temperature and conductivity are considered. We consider the contour integral lost in the Lifshitz formula and discuss inconsistencies for the corrections to the Casimir force given in the literature. Numerical and analytical results in the near and far zones are presented. The two first-order correction obtained due to the actual dielectric constant of the metal coincided with the literature data.
The Lifshitz formula and methods of its preparation in the literature are considered. It is shown that in Lifshitz's work itself, this formula is given without a consistent conclusion. Moreover, the approach to the conclusion proposed in this work does not allow us to obtain it. The most general conclusion of this formula can be the method proposed by Levin and Rytov, the variation method of Schwinger and the method proposed by Van Kampen and co-authors. The Levin and Rytov approach is applicable in principle to bodies of arbitrary shape if the diffraction loss fields for electric and magnetic dipoles are determined, while the Van Kampen approach is applicable to any plane-layered structure and is quite simple. It is enough to write down the dispersion equations of the plasmon-polaritone structure. The specific dispersion force for a number of structures is calculated based on the Van Kampen method. It is shown that at small gaps, the force (pressure) density changes the inverse fourth-degree dependence on the distance and practically ceases to depend on it at distances less than 1 nm. For thin identical plates, this density is proportional to the square of their thickness at such distances, but the dependence quickly becomes saturated and already at thicknesses of the order of 10 nm practically ceases to depend on it.
We consider the Casimir force in configurations with magnetic metal plates and analyze the reasons why the predictions of the Lifshitz theory using the dielectric permittivity of the Drude model are inconsistent with the measurement data. For this purpose, the contributions of the electromagnetic waves with the transverse magnetic and transverse electric polarizations to the Casimir force are computed using the Lifshitz theory expressed in terms of the pure imaginary Matsubara frequencies. Furthermore, the fractions of the evanescent and propagating waves in these contributions are found using an equivalent formulation of the Lifshitz theory along the real frequency axis. All computations are performed for Au-Ni and Ni-Ni plates using the Drude model and the experimentally consistent plasma model over the separation region from 0.5 to 6~mum, where the total force value is determined by conduction electrons. It is shown that the transverse magnetic contribution to the Casimir force does not depend on the used model of the dielectric permittivity, so that the total difference between the predictions of the Lifshitz theory using the Drude model and the measurement data is determined by the transverse electric contribution. In doing so, as opposed to the case of nonmagnetic metals, both fractions of the evanescent and propagating waves in this contribution depend on the model of the dielectric permittivity used in computations, whereas the magnetic properties of the plate metal influence the Casimir force solely through the fraction of propagating waves in the transverse electric contribution. The issue of a more adequate theoretical description of the electromagnetic response of magnetic metals is discussed.
The Casimir force due to thermal fluctuations (or the pseudo-Casimir force) was previously calculated for a perfect Bose gas in the slab geometry for various boundary conditions. The Casimir pressure due to 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 boundary conditions and include higher-order corrections to the leading-order result which we refer to as Bogoliubov corrections. The leading-order term is identified as the Casimir energy of a massless scalar field moving with a wave velocity equal to the speed of sound in the BEC. We then obtain the leading-order Casimir pressure in a general three-dimensional rectangular cavity of arbitrary length and obtain the finite-size correction to the parallel plate scenario.