Direct calculation of the critical Casimir force in a binary fluid

2016/03/25 by Francesco Puosi, F. Puosi, David Lopes Cardozo +4
Engineering · Materials Science · Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Amplitude #Anisotropy #Casimir effect #Casimir pressure #Classical mechanics #Condensed matter physics #Geometry #Material Dynamics and Properties #Mathematical physics #Mathematics #Perpendicular #Phase Equilibria and Thermodynamics #Physics #Quantum Electrodynamics and Casimir Effect #Quantum mechanics #Scaling #Slab #Work (physics) #cond-mat.soft #cond-mat.stat-mech

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreve.94.040102

arxiv created 2016/03/25 · openalex publication_date 2016/10/21 · arxiv updated 2016/11/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05

Abstract

We show that critical Casimir effects can be accessed through direct simulation of a model binary fluid passing through the demixing transition. We work in the semi-grand-canonical ensemble, in slab geometry, in which the Casimir force appears as the excess of the generalized pressure, P_⊥-nμ. The excesses of the perpendicular pressure, P_⊥, and of nμ, are individually of much larger amplitude. A critical pressure anisotropy is observed between forces parallel and perpendicular to the confinement direction, which collapses onto a universal scaling function closely related to that of the critical Casimir force.

Citations

• Lectures on Phase Transitions and the Renormalization Group
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• The general theory of van der Waals forces
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• Continuous demixing at liquid-vapor coexistence in a symmetrical binary fluid mixture
• Aspect-ratio dependence of thermodynamic Casimir forces
• Structure and dynamics of binary liquid mixtures near their continuous demixing transitions