Starlight passing through vacuum of space consists of electromagnetic waves.The Casimir Force
Vacuum, Light, & Quantum Physics
Starlight passing through vacuum of space consists of electromagnetic waves.
Like position & momentum, electric and magnetic fields are subject to (Heisenberg) quantum uncertainty
The quantum vacuum is thus a cauldron of fluctuating electric and magnetic fields.
H.B.G.
Casimir examined consequences of confining these fluctuations between plates, in
"On the attraction between two perfectly conducting plates," Proc. K. Ned. Akkad. Wet. 51, 793 (1948)
Quantum fluctuations of electromagnetic field in the vacuum lead to an attractive force, scaling with separation H as
High Precision experimental verification
made possible by advent of scanning force microscopy in the 1990s, by several groups, including:
"Demonstration
of the Casimir Force in the 0.6 to 6µm Range," (using
a torsion pendulum)
S.K. Lamoreaux, Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 5 (1997)
"Precision Measurements of
the Casimir Force from 0.1 to 0.9µm," (using atomic force
microscopy)
U. Mohideen and A. Roy, Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 4549 (1998) (offline)
Many other groups since ....
Technology applications
Important in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS): micron-scale metallic machines
H. B. Chan, V. A. Aksyuk, R. N. Kleiman, D. J. Bishop, Federico Capasso, Science 291, 1941 (2001)
Stiction due to the attractive Casimir force is a challenge to design and operation of MEMs
"The role of the Casimir effect
in the static deflection and stiction of membrane strips in MEMS,"Ferry,Walliser,Maclay,J.Appl.Phys.84,2501(98)
"Stiction, adhesion energy, and
the Casimir effect in micromechanical systems," E.
Buks and M. L. Roukes, Phys. Rev. B 63,
033402 (2001)
Reducing/removing Casimir attraction is of technological value:
