The Casimir spectrum revisited

DOI10.1063/1.3614003zbMATH Open1317.81238arXiv1012.1140OpenAlexW1971283504WikidataQ59689036 ScholiaQ59689036MaRDI QIDQ5266072FDOQ5266072

Authors: Marco O. P. Sampaio, Jaime Santos, Carlos Herdeiro 

Publication date: 29 July 2015

Published in: Journal of Mathematical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: We examine the mathematical and physical significance of the spectral density sigma(w) introduced by Ford in Phys. Rev. D38, 528 (1988), defining the contribution of each frequency to the renormalised energy density of a quantum field. Firstly, by considering a simple example, we argue that sigma(w) is well defined, in the sense of being regulator independent, despite an apparently regulator dependent definition. We then suggest that sigma(w) is a spectral distribution, rather than a function, which only produces physically meaningful results when integrated over a sufficiently large range of frequencies and with a high energy smooth enough regulator. Moreover, sigma(w) is seen to be simply the difference between the bare spectral density and the spectral density of the reference background. This interpretation yields a simple `rule of thumb' to writing down a (formal) expression for sigma(w) as shown in an explicit example. Finally, by considering an example in which the sign of the Casimir force varies, we show that the spectrum carries no manifest information about this sign; it can only be inferred by integrating sigma(w).

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1012.1140

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Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Perturbative methods of renormalization applied to problems in quantum field theory (81T15) Casimir effect in quantum field theory (81T55)

Cites Work

• Casimir energy and a cosmological bounce
• Scalar Casimir effect on a D -dimensional Einstein static universe
• New developments in the Casimir effect
• The frequency spectrum of the Casimir effect

Cited In (5)

• The Casimir effect: recent controversies and progress
• The Casimir effect as a scattering problem
• Advances in the Casimir Effect
• Conjectured derivation of the Planck radiation spectrum from Casimir energies
• Dynamical Casimir effect and the black body spectrum

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