Casimir energy and entropy between perfect metal spheres

Abstract

We calculate the Casimir energy and entropy for two perfect metal spheres in the large and short separation limit. We obtain nonmonotonic behavior of the Helmholtz free energy with separation and temperature, leading to parameter ranges with negative entropy, and also nonmonotonic behavior of the entropy with temperature and with the separation between the spheres. The appearance of this anomalous behavior of the entropy is discussed as well as its thermodynamic consequences.