The Casimir Interaction in Electrolyte Solutions

Abstract:

Movable ions partially screen the van der Waals or Casimir interaction between surfaces immersed in electrolyte solutions. Recent experimental and theoretical results indicate that the Casimir interaction in this configuration has a longer range than previously expected. I will present a general introduction to the Casimir effect followed by a discussion of the case in which the interacting surfaces are separated by an electrolyte solution. The resulting Casimir energy is then the sum of a screened contribution from longitudinal modes alongside an unscreened term arising from transverse magnetic modes. Some applications and consequences of this long-ranged Casimir interaction are presented.