Casimir Energy in Contact-Interaction Models

Abstract

The problem of Casimir interaction between two δ^d-like (d = 1, 2, and 3) sources in Minkowski space is examined on the basis of the ln det formalism. The result obtained for the case of two semitransparent plates (d = 1) coincides with the earlier result based on an alternative approach. The earlier assertion that there is no vacuum interaction between linear (d = 2) sources is disproved. An expression for the Casimir energy for two pointlike (d = 3) sources is obtained.