The Casimir effect for fields with arbitrary spin

Stokes, A. and Bennett, R. (2015) The Casimir effect for fields with arbitrary spin. Annals of Physics, 360, pp. 246-267. (doi: 10.1016/j.aop.2015.05.011)

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Abstract

The Casimir force arises when a quantum field is confined between objects that apply boundary conditions to it. In a recent paper we used the two-spinor calculus to derive boundary conditions applicable to fields with arbitrary spin in the presence of perfectly reflecting surfaces. Here we use these general boundary conditions to investigate the Casimir force between two parallel perfectly reflecting plates for fields up to spin-2. We use the two-spinor calculus formalism to present a unified calculation of well-known results for spin-1/2 (Dirac) and spin-1 (Maxwell) fields. We then use our unified framework to derive new results for the spin-3/2 and spin-2 fields, which turn out to be the same as those for spin-1/2 and spin-1. This is part of a broader conclusion that there are only two different Casimir forces for perfectly reflecting plates—one associated with fermions and the other with bosons.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:A. S. thanks the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) grant number EP/M013243/1, and R. B. acknowledges support from an EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellowship.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Bennett, Dr Robert
Authors: Stokes, A., and Bennett, R.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
Journal Name:Annals of Physics
Publisher:Elsevier
ISSN:0003-4916
ISSN (Online):1096-035X
Published Online:12 May 2015
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2015 The Authors
First Published:First published in Annals of Physics 360: 246-267
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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