Abstract
The leading semiclassical estimates of the electromagnetic Casimir stresses on a spherical and a cylindrical metallic shell are within of the field theoretical values. The electromagnetic Casimir energy for both geometries is given by two decoupled massless scalars that satisfy conformally covariant boundary conditions. Surface contributions vanish for smooth metallic boundaries, and the finite electromagnetic Casimir energy in leading semiclassical approximation is due to quadratic fluctuations about periodic rays in the interior of the cavity only. Semiclassically, the nonvanishing Casimir energy of a metallic cylindrical shell is almost entirely due to Fresnel diffraction.
- Received 16 June 2010
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.82.022113
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