Pronounced minimum of the thermodynamic Casimir forces of O(${\bf n}$) symmetric film systems: Analytic theory

Abstract

Thermodynamic Casimir forces of film systems in the O$(n)$ universality classes with Dirichlet boundary conditions are studied below bulk criticality. Substantial progress is achieved in resolving the long-standing problem of describing analytically the pronounced minimum of the scaling function observed experimentally in $^4$He films $(n=2)$ by R. Garcia and M.H.W. Chan, Phys. Rev. Lett. ${\bf 83}, 1187 \;(1999)$ and in Monte Carlo simulations for the three-dimensional Ising model ($n=1$) by O. Vasilyev et al., EPL ${\bf 80}, 60009 \;(2007)$. Our finite-size renormalization-group approach yields excellent agreement with the depth and the position of the minimum for $n=1$ and semiquantitative agreement with the minimum for $n=2$. Our theory also predicts a pronounced minimum for the $n=3$ Heisenberg universality class.