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  • T H e Multipole Expansion: Today

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    Eddie
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    This document discusses the multipole expansion and diagonalization of an energy matrix E. It shows how the ground state energy of a system can be written in terms of the dipole-dipole interaction. The result is an energy similar to that of a van der Waals force, with a potential proportional to 1/R^6. While this calculation provides a rough physical model for the Casimir effect producing this potential, the Casimir effect is actually a boundary effect as will be discussed in a later chapter.

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    This document discusses the multipole expansion and diagonalization of an energy matrix E. It shows how the ground state energy of a system can be written in terms of the dipole-dipole interaction. The result is an energy similar to that of a van der Waals force, with a potential proportional to 1/R^6. While this calculation provides a rough physical model for the Casimir effect producing this potential, the Casimir effect is actually a boundary effect as will be discussed in a later chapter.

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    1 views1 page

    T H e Multipole Expansion: Today

    Uploaded by

    Eddie
    This document discusses the multipole expansion and diagonalization of an energy matrix E. It shows how the ground state energy of a system can be written in terms of the dipole-dipole interaction. The result is an energy similar to that of a van der Waals force, with a potential proportional to 1/R^6. While this calculation provides a rough physical model for the Casimir effect producing this potential, the Casimir effect is actually a boundary effect as will be discussed in a later chapter.

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    of 1

    3.

    9 T h e Multipole Expansion 83

    We set
    y1 = 21 + 2 2 , y2 = 21 -22,
    so that
    1 1
    21 = -(Y1
    2
    + Y d , 2 2 = -(Y1
    2
    - YZ),

    and E is then diagonalised, i.e.

    Quantum mechanically this is

    For the difference with Eo, i.e. with no dipole-dipole interacion, we obtain for the ground state of
    the system (N1 = 0, N2 = 0 )

    = ; h o ( / G + / - - 2 )

    N -1h o (
    2
    - $) K -.1
    R6

    This is an energy similar to that of a van der Waals force. One can look at this calculation as a
    rough physical model of the Casimir effect in producing the potential K l / R 6 , at least this was
    suggested in the 1iterature.q Actually the Casimir effect is a boundary effect, as we shall see in
    Chapter 20.

    qSee D. Kleppner, Physics Today (Oct. 1990) 9; cf. also the Casimir effect in Chapter 20.

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