Computing Casimir forces via table-top experiments: a time-domain approach

Alejandro Rodriguez, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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We present a technique that allows calculations of Casimir forces via antenna measurements at tabletop (e.g. centimeter) scales, forming a type of analog computer for the Casimir effect. This technique relies on a correspondence derived between the contour integration of the Casimir force in the complex frequency plane and the electromagnetic response of a physical, dissipative medium in a finite, real-frequency bandwidth. We argue why this correspondence also forms a crucial starting point for a finite-difference time-domain implementation of the stress-tensor method.

Abstract Author(s): Alejandro W. Rodriguez, Alexander P. McCauley, John D. Joannopoulos, and Steven G. Johnson