In this work I investigate the fluctuating evanescent fields outside dielectric bodies, being generated by thermal and quantum mechanical fluctuations inside that dielectrics within the framework of Rytov’s fluctuational electrodynamics. In particular, I determine the near-field energy density above a metallic slab and a metal-coated substrate with special attention to the surface plasmon polariton coupling. Furthermore, I develop a phenomenological sensor model which can quantitatively describe experimental results of the near-field radiative heat transfer measured with a real near-field scanning thermal microscope. Finally, in the last part of this work I study the thermal contribution to the Casimir-van der Waals force between two dielectric media. Especially the transition from a real to an ideal metal is investigated with the method of Wick rotations. It is shown that the transition from a real to an ideal metal is discontinuous.
Svend-Age Biehs: Theorie und Anwendungen thermisch