The influence of the Casimir effect on the binding potential for 3D wetting
File(s)
Author(s)
Squarcini, Alessio
Romero-Enrique, Jos EM
Parry, Andrew
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
We provide comprehensive details of how a previously overlooked entropic, or low-temperature Casimir contribution, 𝑊𝐶, to the total binding potential for three-dimensional short-ranged wetting may be determined from a microscopic Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson Hamiltonian. The entropic contribution comes from the many microscopic configurations corresponding to a given interfacial one, which arise from bulklike fluctuations about the mean-field (MF) constrained profile, and adds to the usual MF contribution 𝑊MF. We determine the functional dependence of 𝑊𝐶 on the interface (and wall) shape using a boundary integral method which can be cast as a diagrammatic expansion with each diagram corresponding to successively higher-order exponentially decaying contributions. The decay of 𝑊𝐶 is qualitatively different for first-order and critical wetting with the change in form occurring at the MF tricritical point. Including the Casimir contribution to the binding potential preserves the global surface phase diagram but changes, radically, predictions for fluctuation effects at first-order and tricritical wetting, even when capillary-wave fluctuations are not considered.
Date Issued
2026-02-01
Date Acceptance
2026-01-20
Citation
Physical Review E: Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics, 2026, 113 (2)
ISSN
1539-3755
Publisher
American Physical Society
Journal / Book Title
Physical Review E: Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
Volume
113
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
©2026 American Physical Society. This is the author’s accepted manuscript made available under a CC-BY licence in accordance with Imperial’s Research Publications Open Access policy (www.imperial.ac.uk/oa-policy)
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN 024133
Date Publish Online
2026-02-24