Stochastic quantization and casimir forces: pistons of arbitrary cross section Articles uri icon

authors

  • RODRIGUEZ LOPEZ, PABLO
  • BRITO LOPEZ, RICARDO
  • SOTO, RODRIGO

published in

  • EPL  Journal

publication date

  • December 2011

start page

  • 1

end page

  • 6

issue

  • 5 (50008)

volume

  • 96

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0295-5075

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1286-4854

abstract

  • Abstract: In this paper we show how the stochastic quantization method developed by Parisi and Wu can be used to obtain Casimir forces. Both quantum and thermal fluctuations are taken into account by a Langevin equation for the field. The method allows the Casimir force to be obtained directly, derived from the stress tensor instead of the free energy. It only requires the spectral decomposition of the Laplacian operator in the given geometry. The formalism provides also an expression for the fluctuations of the force. As an application we compute the Casimir force on the plates of a finite piston of arbitrary cross-section. Fluctuations of the force are also directly obtained, and it is shown that, in the piston case, the variance of the force is twice the force squared