paper

Casimir Force Phase Transitions in the Graphene Family

arXiv:1609.05193 · doi:10.1038/ncomms14699

Abstract

The Casimir force is a universal interaction induced by electromagnetic quantum fluctuations between any types of objects. The expansion of the graphene family by adding silicene, germanene, and stanene, 2D allotropes of Si, Ge, and Sn, lands itself as a platform to probe Dirac-like physics in honeycomb staggered systems in such a ubiquitous interaction. We discover Casimir force phase transitions between these staggered 2D materials induced by the complex interplay between Dirac physics, spin-orbit coupling, and externally applied fields. In particular, we find that the interaction energy experiences different power law distance decays, magnitudes, and dependences on characteristic physical constants. Furthermore, due to the topological properties of these materials, repulsive and quantized Casimir interactions become possible.

12 pages, 9 Figures (4 pages and 5 figures in the Supporting Information). Discussion about thermal corrections to the Casimir force was included. Updated figures in the manuscript and supplementary information

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