Remarks on the Casimir self-entropy of a spherical electromagnetic δ -function shell

Abstract

Recently, the Casimir self-entropy of an electromagnetic δ-function shell was considered by two different groups, with apparently discordant conclusions, although both had concluded that a region of negative entropy existed for sufficiently weak coupling. We had found that the entropy contained an infrared divergence, which we argued should be discarded on physical grounds. On the contrary, Bordag and Kirsten recently found a completely finite self-entropy, although they, in fact, have to remove an infrared divergence. Apart from this, the high- and low-temperature results for finite coupling agree precisely for the transverse electric mode, but there are significant discrepancies in the transverse magnetic mode. We resolve those discrepancies here. In particular, it is shown that coupling-independent terms, likely being an artifact of the omission of pole terms, do not occur in a consistent regulated calculation. The results of our previous analysis, especially the existence of a negative entropy region for sufficiently weak coupling, are therefore confirmed. Finally, we offer some analogous remarks concerning the Casimir entropy of a thin electromagnetic sheet, where the total entropy is always positive. In that case, the origin of the analogous discrepancy can be explicitly isolated.