Interaction force between ultrathin multilayer films induced by quantum fluctuations

The van der Waals force between dielectric plates comprising ultrathin conducting films was calculated by employing two models. In the first model, the ultrathin dielectric film was modeled as a dielectric plate of a small thickness, and the Lifshitz theory was applied. In the second model, an ultrathin dielectric film was modeled as a plasma sheet, which is an infinitesimally thin fluid carrying mass and charge. For each model, the interacting force was considered to be a function of the separation gap between the films, and the difference in the force-distance relationships of two was discussed.