Casimir interaction and gauge invariance in finite width mirrors

Abstract

We study the general form of the Casimir interaction between two flat finite-width, parallel, infinite mirrors, described by their respective vacuum polarization tensors, under the assumption of translation invariance along the directions parallel to the planes of the mirrors. Their properties along the normal coordinates are left, on the other hand, rather arbitrary, but constrained by the Ward identity for the vacuum polarization tensors. We construct solutions to those identities, evaluating the corresponding Casimir energy of the system by reducing the problem to a collection of one-dimensional systems.