the casimir effect

Introduction/purpose: the quantization of the electromagnetic field gives rise to quantum fluctuations which in turn produce a force on macroscopic boundaries. this phenomenon is called the casimir effect. method: the second quantization of the electromagnetic field is employed. the zeta function regularization technique has been applied. results: because of the electromagnetic field quantization, a force on macroscopic boundaries is observed. conclusions: vacuum fluctuations due to quantum effects give macroscopic results.