title: Fluctuations of fluctuation-induced casimir-like forces.
abstract: The force experienced by objects embedded in a correlated medium undergoing thermal fluctuations-the so-called fluctuation-induced force-is actually itself a fluctuating quantity. Using a scalar field model, we compute the corresponding probability distribution and show that it is a Gaussian centered on the well-known Casimir force, with a nonuniversal standard deviation that can be typically as large as the mean force itself. The relevance of these results to the experimental measurement of fluctuation-induced forces in soft condensed matter is discussed, as well as the influence of the finite temporal resolution of the measuring apparatus.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physico-Chimie Théorique, UMR CNRS 7083, ESPCI, 10 rue Vauquelin, F-75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bartolo
authors.forename: Armand
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ajdari
authors.forename: Jean-Baptiste
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Fournier
authors.forename: Ramin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Golestanian