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Qing-Dong Jiang and Frank Wilczek calculate Casimir interactions between similar bodies separated by an optically active or gyrotropic medium. Their author manuscript argues that different propagation of left- and right-circularly polarized light invalidates a step in the attraction theorem for the modeled system. For parallel plates with specified reflection matrices, the calculations predict forces that alternate between attraction and repulsion as separation changes. In the Faraday-medium example, an external magnetic field controls the predicted force through the medium’s optical rotation. The authors also examine frequency-dependent material response, imperfect reflection and finite temperature. The finite-temperature calculation assumes temperature-insensitive dielectric properties; its predictions depend on the chosen intervening medium and reflection matrices.

Chiral Casimir Forces: Repulsive, Enhanced, Tunable