Casimir and Helmholtz forces in one-dimensional Ising model with Dirichlet (free) boundary conditions

Abstract

Attention in the literature has increasingly turned to the issue of the dependence on ensemble and boundary conditions of fluctuation-induced forces. We have recently investigated this problem in the one-dimensional Ising model with periodic and antiperiodic boundary conditions (Annals of Physics 459, 169533 (2023)). Significant variations of the behavior of Casimir and Helmholtz forces was observed, depending on both ensemble and boundary conditions. Here we extend our study by considering the problem in the important case of Dirichlet (also termed free, or missing neighbors) boundary conditions. The advantage of the mathematical formulation of the problem in terms of Chebyshev polynomials is demonstrated and, in this approach, expressions for the partition functions in the canonical and the grand canonical ensembles are presented. We prove analytically that the Casimir force is attractive for all values of temperature and external ordering field, while the Helmholtz force can be both attractive and repulsive.