C. Villarreal, R. Esquivel-Sirvent, L. Mochan, and C. Noguez
Institute de Fisica
Universidad Autonoma de Mexico
Apartado Postal 20-364
Mexico, 01000, D.F.
With the advent of new nanotechonologies and experimental techniques
exact measurements of the Casimir forces are now feasible. Within
that context, we calculate three-dimensional Casimir forces for
non-homogeneous materials. In the case of heterogeneous slabs,
we compare with experimental results obtained using atomic force
microscopes. In addition, we determine the Casimir force between
a spherical dielectric particle and a planar substrate in the
non-retarded approximation by including multipolar couplings
between the particle and the substrate. Our results generalize
the dipolar approximation of Casimir and Polder. We discuss the
applicability of the proximity force theorem.