Abstract.
A novel technique based on Schwinger's proper time method is applied to the Casimir problem of the M.I.T. bag model. Calculations of the regularized vacuum energies of massless scalar and Dirac spinor fields confined to a static and spherical cavity are presented in a consistent manner. While our results agree partly with previous calculations based on asymptotic methods, the main advantage of our technique is that the numerical errors are under control. Interpreting the bag constant as a vacuum expectation value, we investigate potential cancellations of boundary divergences between the canonical energy and its bag constant counterpart in the fermionic case. It is found that such cancellations do not occur.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received: 19 March 1999 / Published online: 28 September 1999
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hofmann, R., Schumann, M. & Viollier, R. Calculation of the regularized vacuum energy in cavity field theories. Eur. Phys. J. C 11, 153–161 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s100529900213
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s100529900213