In this paper we study an archetypical scenario in which repulsive Casimir-Polder forces between an atom or molecule and two macroscopic bodies can be achieved. This is an extension of previous studies of the interaction between a polarizable atom an
d a wedge, in which repulsion occurs if the atom is sufficiently anisotropic and close enough to the symmetry plane of the wedge. A similar repulsion occurs if such an atom passes a thin cylinder or a wire. An obvious extension is to compute the interaction between such an atom and two facing wedges, which includes as a special case the interaction of an atom with a conducting screen possessing a slit, or between two parallel wires. To this end we further extend the electromagnetic multiple-scattering formalism for three-body interactions. To test this machinery we reinvestigate the interaction of a polarizable atom between two parallel conducting plates. In that case, three-body effects are shown to be small, and are dominated by three- and four-scattering terms. The atom-wedge calculation is illustrated by an analogous scalar situation, described in the Appendix. The wedge-wedge-atom geometry is difficult to analyze because this is a scale-free problem. But it is not so hard to investigate the three-body corrections to the interaction between an anisotropic atom or nanoparticle and a pair of parallel conducting cylinders, and show that the three-body effects are very small and do not affect the Casimir-Polder repulsion at large distances between the cylinders. Finally, we consider whether such highly anisotropic atoms needed for repulsion are practically realizable. Since this appears rather difficult to accomplish, it may be more feasible to observe such effects with highly anisotropic nano particles.
More than 15 years ago, a new approach to quantum mechanics was suggested, in which Hermiticity of the Hamiltonian was to be replaced by invariance under a discrete symmetry, the product of parity and time-reversal symmetry, $mathcal{PT}$. It was sho
wn that if $mathcal{PT}$ is unbroken, energies were, in fact, positive, and unitarity was satisifed. Since quantum mechanics is quantum field theory in 1 dimension, time, it was natural to extend this idea to higher-dimensional field theory, and in fact an apparently viable version of $mathcal{PT}$-invariant quantum electrodynamics was proposed. However, it has proved difficult to establish that the unitarity of the scattering matrix, for example, the Kallen spectral representation for the photon propagator, can be maintained in this theory. This has led to questions of whether, in fact, even quantum mechanical systems are consistent with probability conservation when Greens functions are examined, since the latter have to possess physical requirements of analyticity. The status of $mathcal{PT}$QED will be reviewed in this report, as well as the general issue of unitarity.
Casimir and Casimir-Polder repulsion have been known for more than 50 years. The general Lifshitz configuration of parallel semi-infinite dielectric slabs permits repulsion if they are separated by a dielectric fluid that has a value of permittivity
that is intermediate between those of the dielectric slabs. This was indirectly confirmed in the 1970s, and more directly by Capassos group recently. It has also been known for many years that electrically and magnetically polarizable bodies can experience a repulsive quantum vacuum force. More amenable to practical application are situations where repulsion could be achieved between ordinary conducting and dielectric bodies in vacuum. The status of the field of Casimir repulsion with emphasis on recent developments will be surveyed. Here, stress will be placed on analytic developments, especially of Casimir-Polder (CP) interactions between anisotropically polarizable atoms, and CP interactions between anisotropic atoms and bodies that also exhibit anisotropy, either because of anisotropic constituents, or because of geometry. Repulsion occurs for wedge-shaped and cylindrical conductors, provided the geometry is sufficiently asymmetric, that is, either the wedge is sufficiently sharp or the atom is sufficiently far from the cylinder.
Recently, the topic of Casimir repulsion has received a great deal of attention, largely because of the possibility of technological application. The general subject has a long history, going back to the self-repulsion of a conducting spherical shell
and the repulsion between a perfect electric conductor and a perfect magnetic conductor. Recently it has been observed that repulsion can be achieved between ordinary conducting bodies, provided sufficient anisotropy is present. For example, an anisotropic polarizable atom can be repelled near an aperture in a conducting plate. Here we provide new examples of this effect, including the repulsion on such an atom moving on a trajectory nonintersecting a conducting cylinder; in contrast, such repulsion does not occur outside a sphere. Classically, repulsion does occur between a conducting ellipsoid placed in a uniform electric field and an electric dipole. The Casimir-Polder force between an anisotropic atom and an anisotropic dielectric semispace does not exhibit repulsion. The general systematics of repulsion are becoming clear.
