Recent Study Reduces Casimir Force to Lowest Recorded Level

Schematic drawing of the experimental configuration used to measure the Casimir force between a gold-plated sphere and a nanonstructured grating.<br>

For more than 60 years, scientists have studied the peculiar electromagnetic interaction between two neutral objects. The Casimir effect, a long-standing point of study in quantum physics, refers to this unavoidable physical force that exists between the objects, even when those objects are placed in an environment void of any external forces.

This recent study, published online on Sept. 27 in the Nature Communications, breaks new ground in the standard measurements of the Casimir effect known to scientists. The experiment used nanostructured (micro-ridged) metallic plates to suppress the force to a much lower rate than ever recorded previously, said Ricardo Decca, Ph.D., professor of physics at IUPUI.

“These results build upon our expertise in the measurement of the Casimir effect. At IUPUI, we have the most precise determinations of this interaction,” said Decca, one of nine co-authors in the discovery. He also is the director of the graduate program in the Department of Physics at IUPUI and co-director of the Nanoscale Imaging Center.

“Based on previous knowledge, the attraction discovered here should not have decreased as much as it did. There was still an attraction measured but not near the levels typically found,” Decca said.

He likened the experiment to “going fishing, where we caught a fish nobody ever expected to be there.”

Co-authors on the study include Vladimir A. Aksyuk, Ph.D., National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); Paul S. Davids, Ph.D., Sandia National Laboratories; Diego A.R. Dalvit, Ph.D., Los Alamos National Laboratory; Francesco Intravaia, Ph.D., Los Alamos National Laboratory; Stephan Koev, Ph.D., NIST; Woong Jung, Ph.D., Argonne National Laboratory; Daniel López, Ph.D., Argonne National Laboratory; A. Alec Talin, Ph.D., NIST.

Theoretical physicists differ on whether true repulsion (reversal of the attraction from positive to negative) can ever be achieved. However, the study could change scientists’ understanding of electromagnetism and lead to the creation of surfaces with less friction.

Casimir effect
The experimental data, noted by the red and blue lines, show a clear departure from normalized pressure ratings in a typical Casimir force measurement.High-resolution image

The reduced attraction was measured using a metal-coated sphere attached to an oscillator mounted above two electrodes. A metallic, nanostructured grating was attached to an optical fiber, and the interaction occurred as the sphere and grating were moved closer to one another. SEE FIGURE.

The experiment revealed the Casimir pressure was reduced at more than twice the expected levels when the sphere and the grating surface were separated from one another by up to 500 nanometers.

Although excited for the results thus far, the research team noted in the publication that much more analysis and study is needed to determine to true breadth of their impact. The results, however, open up new possibilities in the study of an often-debated phenomenon and could lead to more scientific activity in this field.

Media Contact

David Hosick EurekAlert!

More Information:

http://www.iupiu.edu

All latest news from the category: Physics and Astronomy

This area deals with the fundamental laws and building blocks of nature and how they interact, the properties and the behavior of matter, and research into space and time and their structures.

innovations-report provides in-depth reports and articles on subjects such as astrophysics, laser technologies, nuclear, quantum, particle and solid-state physics, nanotechnologies, planetary research and findings (Mars, Venus) and developments related to the Hubble Telescope.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

Lighting up the future

New multidisciplinary research from the University of St Andrews could lead to more efficient televisions, computer screens and lighting. Researchers at the Organic Semiconductor Centre in the School of Physics and…

Researchers crack sugarcane’s complex genetic code

Sweet success: Scientists created a highly accurate reference genome for one of the most important modern crops and found a rare example of how genes confer disease resistance in plants….

Evolution of the most powerful ocean current on Earth

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current plays an important part in global overturning circulation, the exchange of heat and CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere, and the stability of Antarctica’s ice sheets….

Partners & Sponsors