The Casimir Effect between Parallel Plates Separated by Uniaxial Media: The Effects Due to the Orientation of the Optical Axis

Abstract

The Casimir force is calculated in the configuration of two parallel plates separated by an anisotropic media. The result exhibits a dependence on the orientation of the optical axis of the intervening media. It is possible that the Casimir force switches its direction as the optical axis orientation varies. The greatest magnitude of the force could be achieved at any optical axis orientation, depending on the dielectric properties of the plates and the intervening media. A comparison between the relativistic and nonrelativistic result revealed that the nonrelativistic approximation could significantly underestimate the attraction or overestimate the repulsion. This error was even greater when the optical axis of the intervening media was perpendicular to the surface of the plates. The nonrelativistic approximation might even fail to predict the trends of the Casimir force at small distances.

Keywords

• casimir effect
• anisotropy
• optical axis