The Casimir interaction of a massive vector field between concentric spherical bodies

• Published in: Physics letters. B Vol. 696; no. 5; pp. 529 - 535
• Main Author: Teo, L.P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 14.02.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Casimir effect; Computer simulation; Conduction; Elementary particles; Energy (nuclear); Exact sciences and technology; Fluctuation; Massive vector field; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical models; Nuclear physics; Perfectly conducting; Physics; Proca equations; The physics of elementary particles and fields; Vectors (mathematics); Casimir effect; Perfectly conducting; Massive vector field; Proca equations; Massive field; Fluctuations; Linear combination; Digital simulation; Vector fields; Interaction energy; Parallel plate
• ISSN: 0370-2693; 1873-2445
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physletb.2010.12.068

The Casimir interaction energy due to the vacuum fluctuations of a massive vector field between two perfectly conducting concentric spherical bodies is computed. The TE contribution to the Casimir interaction energy is a direct generalization of the massless case but the TM contribution is much more complicated. Each TM mode is a linear combination of a transverse mode which is the generalization of a TM mode in the massless case and a longitudinal mode that does not appear in the massless case. In contrast to the case of two parallel perfectly conducting plates, there are no TM discrete modes that vanish identically in the perfectly conducting spherical bodies. Numerical simulations show that the Casimir interaction force between the two bodies is always attractive.