Multiple scattering expansion for dielectric media: Casimir effect

TL;DR

This paper introduces a multiple scattering approach to calculate Casimir forces in complex geometries, enabling accurate predictions without detailed scattering data, and demonstrating its effectiveness through initial applications.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel multiple scattering expansion method for Casimir interactions applicable to arbitrary shapes and materials, simplifying calculations in complex geometries.

Findings

Accurate Casimir force calculations with few scattering events.

Method applicable to arbitrary shapes and materials.

Initial applications demonstrate the approach's effectiveness.

Abstract

Recent measurements of Casimir forces have provided evidence of an intricate modification of quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field in complex geometries. Here we introduce a multiple scattering description for Casimir interactions between bodies of arbitrary shape and material composition, admitting an expansion as a sequence of inter- and intra-body wave scatterings. Interactions in complex geometries can be computed within the current experimental resolution from typically a few wave scatterings, notably without any a priori knowledge of the scattering amplitudes of the bodies. Some first applications demonstrate the power of the approach.