Fundamentals of Van Der Waals and Casimir Interactions

This book presents a self-contained derivation of van der Waals and Casimir type dispersion forces, covering the interactions between two atoms but also between microscopic, mesoscopic, and macroscopic objects of various shapes and materials. It also presents detailed and general prescriptions for finding the normal modes and the interactions in layered systems of planar, spherical and cylindrical types, with two-dimensional sheets, such as graphene incorporated in the formalism.

A detailed derivation of the van der Waals force and Casimir-Polder force between two polarizable atoms serves as the starting point for the discussion of forces: Dispersion forces, of van der Waals and Casimir type, act on bodies of all size, from atoms up to macroscopic objects. The smaller the object the more these forces dominate and as a result they play a key role in modern nanotechnology through effects such as stiction. They show up in almost all fields of science, including physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, and even cosmology.

Written by a condensed matter physicist in the language of condensed matter physics, the book shows readers how to obtain the electromagnetic normal modes, which for metallic systems, is especially useful in the field of plasmonics.

Bo Sernelius graduated from Linkoping Institute of Technology in 1973, and received a PhD in Theoretical Physics in 1978. From 1978 to 2000 he was a senior researcher and senior lecturer at Linkoping Institute of Technology, and from 1985 to ’87 he served as visiting associate professor at the University of Tennessee/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA (with Gerald D. Mahan). Between 2000 and 2014 he held a position as professor of Theoretical Physics at Linkoping University. In 2000 he again became a visiting scientist at the University of Tennessee/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA (with Gerald D. Mahan) for one year.

In 2015 he retired and became professor emeritus of Theoretical Physics at Linkoping University.