Thermodynamic Casimir effects involving interacting field theories with zero modes

Abstract

Systems with an O(n) symmetrical Hamiltonian are considered in a $d$-dimensional slab geometry of macroscopic lateral extension and finite thickness $L$ that undergo a continuous bulk phase transition in the limit $L\to\infty$. The effective forces induced by thermal fluctuations at and above the bulk critical temperature $T_{c,\infty}$ (thermodynamic Casimir effect) are investigated below the upper critical dimension $d^*=4$ by means of field-theoretic renormalization group methods for the case of periodic and special-special boundary conditions, where the latter correspond to the critical enhancement of the surface interactions on both boundary planes. As shown previously [\textit{Europhys. Lett.} \textbf{75}, 241 (2006)], the zero modes that are present in Landau theory at $T_{c,\infty}$ make conventional RG-improved perturbation theory in $4-\epsilon$ dimensions ill-defined. The revised expansion introduced there is utilized to compute the scaling functions of the excess free energy and the Casimir force for temperatures $T\geqT_{c,\infty}$ as functions of $\mathsf{L}\equiv L/\xi_\infty$, where $\xi_\infty$ is the bulk correlation length. Scaling functions of the $L$-dependent residual free energy per area are obtained whose $\mathsf{L}\to0$ limits are in conformity with previous results for the Casimir amplitudes $\Delta_C$ to $O(\epsilon^{3/2})$ and display a more reasonable small-$\mathsf{L}$ behavior inasmuch as they approach the critical value $\Delta_C$ monotonically as $\mathsf{L}\to 0$.