Lifshitz theory of van der Waals pressure in dissipative media

TL;DR

This paper develops a first-principles method to calculate van der Waals or Casimir pressure in dissipative multilayer systems using Maxwell stress tensor, demonstrated on a thin film between media.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach based on Maxwell stress tensor in a fictitious vacuum layer to determine pressures in dissipative, dispersive multilayer structures.

Findings

Method successfully calculates van der Waals pressure in dissipative media.

Application to a thin film demonstrates the approach.

Provides a foundation for analyzing Casimir forces in complex media.

Abstract

We derive a first--principles method of determining the van der Waals or Casimir pressure in a dissipative and dispersive planar multilayered system by calculating the Maxwell stress tensor in a fictitious layer of vacuum, that is eventually made to vanish, introduced in the structure. This is illustrated by calculating the van der Waals pressure in a thin film with dissipative properties embedded between two semi--infinite media.