The subject of this book is the Casimir effect, a manifestation of zero-point oscillations of the quantum vacuum resulting in forces acting between closely spaced bodies. For the benefit of the reader, the book assembles field-theoretical foundations of this phenomenon, applications of the general theory to real materials, and a comprehensive description of all recently performed measurements of the Casimir force with a comparison between experiment and theory. There is an urgent need for a book of this type, given the increase of interest in forces originating from the quantum vacuum....

QFEXT is the leading international conference held every two years, highlighting progress in quantum vacuum energy phenomena, the Casimir effect, and related topics, both experimentally and theoretically.

This proceedings volume, featuring contributions from many of the key players in the field, serves as a definitive source of information on this field, which is playing an increasingly important role in nanotechnology and in understanding fundamental issues in physics such as renormalization and in the search for new physics such as fifth forces and dark energy.