Casimir effect in magnetic dual chiral density waves

Fujii, Daisuke; Nakayama, Katsumasa*; Suzuki, Kei   

We conduct a theoretical analysis of the Casimir effect arising from Dirac fermions in magnetized, finite-density matter. Our primary focus is on quark fields in the magnetic dual chiral density wave (MDCDW) phase, a candidate for an inhomogeneous ground state in strongly interacting Dirac systems. In this phase, the Casimir energy exhibits intricate oscillatory behavior as a function of separation distance, stemming from the combined effects of the chemical potential, external magnetic field, and spatial modulation of the ground state. To gain a deeper understanding, we decompose the Casimir energy into individual Landau level contributions, revealing distinct types of Casimir effects depending on whether the contribution originates from the lowest or higher Landau levels. We also highlight unique features that emerge due to energy level splitting between quark flavors, such as up and down quarks.