Three-dimensional Casimir force between absorbing multilayer dielectrics

Recently the influence of dielectric and geometrical properties on the Casimir force between dispersing and absorbing multilayered plates in the zero-temperature limit has been studied within a one-dimensional (1D) quantization scheme for the electromagnetic field in the presence of causal media [R. Esquivel-Sirvent, C. Villarreal, and G.H. Cocoletzi, Phys. Rev. Lett. 64, 052108 (2001)]. In the present paper a rigorous 3D analysis is given, which shows that for complex heterostructures the 1D theory only roughly reflects the dependence of the Casimir force on the plate separation in general. Further, an extension of the very recently derived formula for the Casimir force at zero temperature [M.S. Tomaš, Phys. Rev. A 66, 052103 (2002)] to finite temperatures is given, and analytical expressions for specific distance laws in the zero-temperature limit are derived. In particular, it is shown that the Casimir force between two single-slab plates behaves asymptotically like d^-6 instead of d^-4 (d, plate separation).