1,089 research outputs found
Experiment and theory in the Casimir effect
Casimir effect is the attractive force which acts between two plane parallel,
closely spaced, uncharged, metallic plates in vacuum. This phenomenon was
predicted theoretically in 1948 and reliably investigated experimentally only
in recent years. In fact, the Casimir force is similar to the familiar van der
Waals force in the case of relatively large separations when the relativistic
effects come into play. We review the most important experiments on measuring
the Casimir force by means of torsion pendulum, atomic force microscope and
micromechanical torsional oscillator. Special attention is paid to the puzzle
of the thermal Casimir force, i.e., to the apparent violation of the third law
of thermodynamics when the Lifshitz theory of dispersion forces is applied to
real metals. Thereafter we discuss the role of the Casimir force in nanosystems
including the stiction phenomenon, actuators, and interaction of hydrogen atoms
with carbon nanotubes. The applications of the Casimir effect for constraining
predictions of extra-dimensional unification schemes and other physics beyond
the standard model are also considered.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figure
Efficient Evaluation of Casimir Force in Arbitrary Three-dimensional Geometries by Integral Equation Methods
In this paper, we generalized the surface integral equation method for the
evaluation of Casimir force in arbitrary three-dimensional geometries. Similar
to the two-dimensional case, the evaluation of the mean Maxwell stress tensor
is cast into solving a series of three-dimensional scattering problems. The
formulation and solution of the three-dimensional scattering problem is
well-studied in classical computational electromagnetics. This paper
demonstrates that this quantum electrodynamic phenomena can be studied using
the knowledge and techniques of classical electrodynamics.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure
Port-Hamiltonian systems: an introductory survey
The theory of port-Hamiltonian systems provides a framework for the geometric description of network models of physical systems. It turns out that port-based network models of physical systems immediately lend themselves to a Hamiltonian description. While the usual geometric approach to Hamiltonian systems is based on the canonical symplectic structure of the phase space or on a Poisson structure that is obtained by (symmetry) reduction of the phase space, in the case of a port-Hamiltonian system the geometric structure derives from the interconnection of its sub-systems. This motivates to consider Dirac structures instead of Poisson structures, since this notion enables one to define Hamiltonian systems with algebraic constraints. As a result, any power-conserving interconnection of port-Hamiltonian systems again defines a port-Hamiltonian system. The port-Hamiltonian description offers a systematic framework for analysis, control and simulation of complex physical systems, for lumped-parameter as well as for distributed-parameter models
Quantum control and long-range quantum correlations in dynamical Casimir arrays
The recent observation of the dynamical Casimir effect in a modulated
superconducting waveguide, coronating thirty years of world-wide research,
empowered the quantum technology community with a powerful tool to create
entangled photons on-chip. In this work we show how, going beyond the single
waveguide paradigm using a scalable array, it is possible to create
multipartite nonclassical states, with the possibility to control the
long-range quantum correlations of the emitted photons. In particular, our
finite-temperature theory shows how maximally entangled states can be
engineered in a realistic setup. The results here presented open the way to new
kinds of quantum fluids of light, arising from modulated vacuum fluctuations in
linear systems
Pull-in control due to Casimir forces using external magnetic fields
We present a theoretical calculation of the pull-in control in capacitive
micro switches actuated by Casimir forces, using external magnetic fields. The
external magnetic fields induces an optical anisotropy due to the excitation of
magneto plasmons, that reduces the Casimir force. The calculations are
performed in the Voigt configuration, and the results show that as the magnetic
field increases the system becomes more stable. The detachment length for a
cantilever is also calculated for a cantilever, showing that it increases with
increasing magnetic field. At the pull-in separation, the stiffness of the
system decreases with increasing magnetic field.Comment: accepted for publication in App. Phys. Let
Coupling ultracold atoms to mechanical oscillators
In this article we discuss and compare different ways to engineer an
interface between ultracold atoms and micro- and nanomechanical oscillators. We
start by analyzing a direct mechanical coupling of a single atom or ion to a
mechanical oscillator and show that the very different masses of the two
systems place a limit on the achievable coupling constant in this scheme. We
then discuss several promising strategies for enhancing the coupling:
collective enhancement by using a large number of atoms in an optical lattice
in free space, coupling schemes based on high-finesse optical cavities, and
coupling to atomic internal states. Throughout the manuscript we discuss both
theoretical proposals and first experimental implementations.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figure
Casimir forces and non-Newtonian gravitation
The search for non-relativistic deviations from Newtonian gravitation can
lead to new phenomena signalling the unification of gravity with the other
fundamental interactions. Various recent theoretical frameworks indicate a
possible window for non-Newtonian forces with gravitational coupling strength
in the micrometre range. The major expected background in the same range is
attributable to the Casimir force or variants of it if dielectric materials,
rather than conducting ones, are considered. Here we review the measurements of
the Casimir force performed so far in the micrometre range and how they
determine constraints on non-Newtonian gravitation, also discussing the
dominant sources of false signals. We also propose a geometry-independent
parameterization of all data in terms of the measurement of the constant c. Any
Casimir force measurement should lead, once all corrections are taken into
account, to a determination of the constant c which, in order to assess the
accuracy of the measurement, can be compared with its more precise value known
through microscopic measurements. Although the last decade of experiments has
resulted in solid demonstrations of the Casimir force, the situation is not
conclusive with respect to being able to discover new physics. Future
experiments and novel phenomenological analysis will be necessary to discover
non-Newtonian forces or to push the window for their possible existence into
regions of the parameter space which theoretically appear unnatural.Comment: Also available at http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/1367-2630/8/10/23
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