Radiation Pressure from the Vacuum: Physical Interpretation of the Casimir Force

Abstract

We calculate the vacuum-field radiation pressure on two parallel, perfecting conducting plates. The modes outside the plates push the plates together, those confined between the plates push them apart, and the net effect is the well-known Casimir force. Implications of this result for the form of the Pointing vector in quantum electrodynamics are discussed. Keywords: Vacuum field radiation pressure; Poynting vector; Casimir force; Reprints.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1988
Accession Number
ADA199899

Entities

People

  • M. E. Goggin
  • P. W. Milonni
  • R. J. Cook

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Classification
  • Colorado
  • Electrodynamics
  • Electromagnetic Radiation
  • Energy
  • Frequency
  • Momentum
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • Quantum Electrodynamics
  • Quantum Field Theory
  • Quantum Mechanics
  • Radiation
  • Radiation Pressure
  • Security
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Mechanical Engineering/Mechanics of Materials.
  • Plasma Physics / Magnetohydrodynamics
  • Quantum spin resonance or Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy.

Technology Areas

  • Quantum Computing