473 research outputs found
An experimental apparatus for measuring the Casimir effect at large distances
An experimental set-up for the measurement of the Casimir effect at
separations larger than a few microns is presented. The apparatus is based on a
mechanical resonator and uses a homodyne detection technique to sense the
Casimir force in the plane-parallel configuration. First measurements in the
3-10 micrometer range show an unexpected large force probably due to patch
effects.Comment: Proceedings of the workshop On the 60 Years on Casimir Effec
The Casimir force of Quantum Spring in the (D+1)-dimensional spacetime
The Casimir effect for a massless scalar field on the helix boundary
condition which is named as quantum spring is studied in our recent
paper\cite{Feng}. In this paper, the Casimir effect of the quantum spring is
investigated in -dimensional spacetime for the massless and massive
scalar fields by using the zeta function techniques. We obtain the exact
results of the Casimir energy and Casimir force for any , which indicate a
symmetry of the two space dimensions. The Casimir energy and Casimir
force have different expressions for odd and even dimensional space in the
massless case but in both cases the force is attractive. In the case of
odd-dimensional space, the Casimir energy density can be expressed by the
Bernoulli numbers, while in the even case it can be expressed by the
-function. And we also show that the Casimir force has a maximum value
which depends on the spacetime dimensions. In particular, for a massive scalar
field, we found that the Casimir force varies as the mass of the field changes.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, v2, massive case added, refs. adde
Constrains on non-Newtonian gravity from the experiment on neutron quantum states in the Earth's gravitational field
An upper limit to non-Newtonian attracive forces is obtained from the
measurement of quantum states of neutrons in the Earth's gravitational field.
This limit improves the existing constrains in the nanometer range
Ultra high level liquid argon purification using electron emission from a tip array
Abstract An array of 148 sharp tips was used to inject large quantities of free electrons in liquid argon and to purify it at a level · 0.09 ppb in few hours. We also evaluated the gettering capability of the stainless steel surface and measured the I–V characteristic of the array
Novel performance-based technique for predicting maintenance strategy of bitumen stabilised ballast
Despite being the most used worldwide, railway ballasted tracks presents high maintenance cost related to ballast settlement and particle degradation. With the aim of reducing life cycle costs, bitumen stabilised ballast (BSB) has been recently proposed as a relatively cheap alternative maintenance solution to be applied to existing tracks. This study aims at assessing the potential advantages of this technology, defining a novel maintenance strategy of traditional ballasted track- beds. A protocol for the application of the BSB technology and its associated maintenance strategy is defined. To estimate minor and major maintenance operations of BSB scenario in comparison to traditional ballasted track-bed, an integrated model, based on laboratory tests, combining the evolution of track irregularities and ballast contamination with traffic, was used. Results together with a sensitivity analysis related to main parameters adopted revealed that the application of BSB is expected to provide a significant increase of intervals between both minor and major maintenance activities
Measurement of the Casimir force between parallel metallic surfaces
We report on the measurement of the Casimir force between conducting surfaces
in a parallel configuration. The force is exerted between a silicon cantilever
coated with chromium and a similar rigid surface and is detected looking at the
shifts induced in the cantilever frequency when the latter is approached. The
scaling of the force with the distance between the surfaces was tested in the
0.5 - 3.0 m range, and the related force coefficient was determined at the
15% precision level.Comment: 4 Figure
Image Based Modeling Technique for Pavement Distress surveys: a Specific Application to Rutting
Image-based modeling (IBM) is a well-known
technique to obtain high quality 3D models based on multi view
images. IBM started being used in several applications such as
inspection, identification of objects and visualization, due to the
user-friendly approach, the low cost and highly automated
technique.
This paper focuses on the investigation of the potential
application of IBM in the diagnosis of road pavement distresses
and in particular rutting. Indeed, the evaluation of the rutting
distress is a fundamental step to define the whole state of a
pavement as demonstrated by the calculation of Present
Serviceability Index (PSI). Currently, the permanent
deformation is measured monitoring visually the rut depth with
the approximations that this procedure involves. Nevertheless,
the exact measure of the rut depth is necessary to evaluate
precisely the cause and the severity of this distress and be
effective in the maintenance and rehabilitation of the pavement
structure.
The objective of this study is to apply the IBM technique on a
laboratory rutted sample, in order to verify the accuracy of the
method in determining the rut depth. To achieve this, a
comparison has been made between the 3D model obtained with
IBM and the one obtained with blue led 3D scan (Artec Spider)
of the same rutted asphalt concrete. The metric accuracy of the
model is then defined and its validity is assessed, in terms of
distress diagnosis
Testing the neutrality of matter by acoustic means in a spherical resonator
New measurements to test the neutrality of matter by acoustic means are
reported. The apparatus is based on a spherical capacitor filled with gaseous
SF excited by an oscillating electric field. The apparatus has been
calibrated measuring the electric polarizability. Assuming charge conservation
in the decay of the neutron, the experiment gives a limit of
for the electron-proton charge
difference, the same limit holding for the charge of the neutron. Previous
measurements are critically reviewed and found incorrect: the present result is
the best limit obtained with this technique
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