The well-known Casimir effect has a direct analogue in systems near critical or multicritical points. Critical fluctuations in systems confined to finite geometries lead to attractive or repulsive forces between system boundaries. These forces influence the formation of wetting layers of liquid 4He or binary liquid mixtures near critical points in these fluids. With the aid of recently developed versions of the atomic force microscope, these forces appear to be directly measurable. The book contains an introduction to the physics of critical phenomena and reviews the most recent developments in the theory of finite-size scaling. A detailed discussion of the Casimir effect and related questions follows. The analysis of quantitative effects on the specific heat of critical films, the formation of wetting layers, and force measurements finish the presentation. This is perhaps the first book on the critical Casimir effect.

The well-known Casimir effect has a direct analogue in systems near critical or multicritical points. Critical fluctuations in systems confined to finite geometries lead to attractive or repulsive forces between system boundaries. These forces influence the formation of wetting layers of liquid 4He or binary liquid mixtures near critical points in these fluids. With the aid of recently developed versions of the atomic force microscope, these forces appear to be directly measurable. The book contains an introduction to the physics of critical phenomena and reviews the most recent developments in the theory of finite-size scaling. A detailed discussion of the Casimir effect and related questions follows. The analysis of quantitative effects on the specific heat of critical films, the formation of wetting layers, and force measurements finish the presentation. This is perhaps the first book on the critical Casimir effect.

The Casimir effect is an interaction between the boundaries of a finite system when fluctuations in that system correlate on length scales comparable to the system size. In particular, the critical Casimir effect is that which arises from the long-ranged thermal fluctuation of the order parameter in a system near criticality. Recent experiments on the Casimir force in binary liquids near critical points and 4He near the superfluid transition have redoubled theoretical interest in the topic. It is an unfortunate fact that exact models of the experimental systems are mathematically intractable in general. However, there is often insight to be gained by studying approximations and toy models, or doing numerical computations. In this work, we present a brief motivation and overview of the field, followed by explications of the O(2) model with twisted boundary conditions and the O(n->infinity) model with free boundary conditions. New results, both analytical and numerical, are presented.

The aim of this book is to familiarise the reader with the rich collection of ideas, methods and results available in the theory of critical phenomena in systems with confined geometry. The existence of universal features of the finite-size effects arising due to highly correlated classical or quantum fluctuations is explained by the finite-size scaling theory. This theory (1) offers an interpretation of experimental results on finite-size effects in real systems; (2) gives the most reliable tool for extrapolation to the thermodynamic limit of data obtained by computer simulations; (3) reveals the intimate mechanism of how the critical singularities build up in the thermodynamic limit; and (4) can be fruitfully used to explain the low-temperature behaviour of quantum critical systems.The exposition is given in a self-contained form which presumes the reader's knowledge only in the framework of standard courses on the theory of phase transitions and critical phenomena. The instructive role of simple models, both classical and quantum, is demonstrated by putting the accent on the derivation of rigorous and exact analytical results.

Of value to the general scientific public, this is the first book in the world scientific literature devoted to the Casimir effect. This topic has important applications in the fields of elementary particle physics, statistical physics, quantum field theory, gravitation and cosmology.

In its simplest manifestation, the Casimir effect is a quantum force of attraction between two parallel uncharged conducting plates. More generally, it refers to the interaction OCo which may be either attractive or repulsive OCo between material bodies due to quantum fluctuations in whatever fields are relevant. It is a local version of the van der Waals force between molecules. Its sweep ranges from perhaps its being the origin of the cosmological constant to its being responsible for the confinement of quarks. This monograph develops the theory of such forces, based primarily on physically transparent Green''s function techniques, and makes applications from quarks to the cosmos, as well as observable consequences in condensed matter systems. It is aimed at graduate students and researchers in theoretical physics, quantum field theory, and applied mathematics. Contents: Introduction to the Casimir Effect; Casimir Force Between Parallel Plates; Casimir Force Between Parallel Dielectrics; Casimir Effect with Perfect Spherical; The Casimir Effect of a Dielectric Ball: The Equivalence of the Casimir Effect and van der Waals Forces; Application to Hadronic Physics: Zero-Point Energy in the Bag Model; Casimir Effect in Cylindrical Geometries; Casimir Effect in Two Dimensions: The Maxwell-Chern-Simons Casimir Effect; Casimir Effect on a D -dimensional Sphere; Cosmological Implications of the Casimir Effect; Local Effects; Sonoluminescene and the Dynamical Casimir Effect; Radiative Corrections to the Casimir Effect; Conclusions and Outlook; Appendices: Relation of Contour Integral Method to Green''s Function Approach; Casimir Effect for a Closed String. Readership: High-energy, condensed-matter and nuclear physicists."

The subject of this book is the Casimir effect, a manifestation of zero-point oscillations of the quantum vacuum resulting in forces acting between closely spaced bodies. For the benefit of the reader, the book assembles field-theoretical foundations of this phenomenon, applications of the general theory to real materials, and a comprehensive description of all recently performed measurements of the Casimir force with a comparison between experiment and theory. There is an urgent need for a book of this type, given the increase of interest in forces originating from the quantum vacuum. Numerous new results have been obtained in the last few years which are not reflected in previous books on the subject, but which are very promising for fundamental science and nanotechnology. The book is a unique source of information presenting a critical assessment of all the main results and approaches from hundreds of journal papers. It also outlines new ideas which have not yet been universally accepted but which are finding increasing support from experiment.