Casimir force in O(n) lattice models with a diffuse interface

On the example of the spherical model we study, as a function of the temperature $T$, the behavior of the Casimir force in O(n) systems with a diffuse interface and slab geometry $infty^{d-1}times L$, where $2<d<4$ is the dimensionality of the system. We consider a system with nearest-neighbor anisotropic interaction constants $J_parallel$ parallel to the film and $J_perp$ across it. The model represents the $ntoinfty$ limit of O(n) models with antiperiodic boundary conditions applied across the finite dimension $L$ of the film. We observe that the Casimir amplitude $Delta_{rm Casimir}(d|J_perp,J_parallel)$ of the anisotropic $d$-dimensional system is related to that one of the isotropic system $Delta_{rm Casimir}(d)$ via $Delta_{rm Casimir}(d|J_perp,J_parallel)=(J_perp/J_parallel)^{(d-1)/2} Delta_{rm Casimir}(d)$. For $d=3$ we find the exact Casimir amplitude $ Delta_{rm Casimir}= [ {rm Cl}_2 (pi/3)/3-zeta (3)/(6 pi)](J_perp/J_parallel)$, as well as the exact scaling functions of the Casimir force and of the helicity modulus $Upsilon(T,L)$. We obtain that $beta_cUpsilon(T_c,L)=(2/pi^{2}) [{rm Cl}_2(pi/3)/3+7zeta(3)/(30pi)] (J_perp/J_parallel)L^{-1}$, where $T_c$ is the critical temperature of the bulk system. We find that the effect of the helicity is thus strong that the Casimir force is repulsive in the whole temperature region.