title: Casimir force phase transitions in the graphene family.
abstract: The Casimir force is a universal interaction induced by electromagnetic quantum fluctuations between any types of objects. The expansion of the graphene family by adding silicene, germanene and stanene (2D allotropes of Si, Ge, and Sn), lends itself as a platform to probe Dirac-like physics in honeycomb staggered systems in such a ubiquitous interaction. We discover Casimir force phase transitions between these staggered 2D materials induced by the complex interplay between Dirac physics, spin-orbit coupling and externally applied fields. In particular, we find that the interaction energy experiences different power law distance decays, magnitudes and dependences on characteristic physical constants. Furthermore, due to the topological properties of these materials, repulsive and quantized Casimir interactions become possible.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of South Florida, Tampa Florida, 33620, USA.
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Lopez
authors.affiliation: Center for Nonlinear Studies, MS B258, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.|Theoretical Division, MS B213, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: Wilton J M
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Kort-Kamp
authors.affiliation: Theoretical Division, MS B213, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA.
authors.forename: Diego A R
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Dalvit
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of South Florida, Tampa Florida, 33620, USA.
authors.forename: Lilia M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Woods