Home
For authors
Submission status

Current
Archive (English)
Archive
   Volumes 81-92
   Volumes 41-60
   Volumes 21-40
   Volumes 1-20
   Volumes 61-80
      Volume 80
      Volume 79
      Volume 78
      Volume 77
      Volume 76
      Volume 75
      Volume 74
      Volume 73
      Volume 72
      Volume 71
      Volume 70
      Volume 69
      Volume 68
      Volume 67
      Volume 66
      Volume 65
      Volume 64
      Volume 63
      Volume 62
      Volume 61
Search
VOLUME 67 (1998) | ISSUE 6 | PAGE 420
Is the Casimir effect relevant to sonoluminescence?
PACS: 12.20.-m, 78.60.Mq
The Casimir energy of a solid ball (or cavity in an infinite medium) is calculated by a direct frequency summation using the contour integration. The dispersion is taken into account, and the divergences are removed by making use of the zeta function technique. The Casimir energy of a dielectric ball (or cavity) turns out to be positive, it being increased when the radius of the ball decreases. The latter eliminates completely the possibility of explaining, via the Casimir effect, the sonoluminescence for bubbles in a liquid. Besides, the Casimir energy of the air bubbles in water proves to be immensely smaller than the amount of the energy emitted in a sonoluminescent flash. The dispersive effect is shown to be inessential for the final result.