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arXiv · 1404.6919

Casimir effect from a scattering approach

Gert-Ludwig Ingold·Astrid Lambrecht
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Abstract

The Casimir force is a spectacular consequence of the existence of vacuum fluctuations and thus deserves a place in courses on quantum theory. We argue that the scattering approach within a one-dimensional field theory is well suited to discuss the Casimir effect. It avoids in a transparent way divergences appearing in the evaluation of the vacuum energy. Furthermore, the scattering approach connects in a natural manner to the standard discussion of one-dimensional scattering problems in a quantum theory course. Finally, it allows to introduce students to the methods employed in the current research literature to determine the Casimir force in real-world systems.

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Gert-Ludwig Ingold, Astrid Lambrecht. 2014-04-28. Casimir effect from a scattering approach. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4896197

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