Abstract
The Casimir Effect is a physical manifestation of quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic vacuum. When two metal plates are placed close together, typically much less than a micron, the long wavelength modes between them are frozen out, giving rise to a net attractive force between the plates, scaling as d−4 (or d−3 for a spherical-planar geometry) even when they are not electrically charged. In this paper, we observe the Casimir Effect in ambient conditions using a modified capacitive micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) sensor. Using a feedback-assisted pick-and-place assembly process, we are able to attach various microstructures onto the post-release MEMS, converting it from an inertial force sensor to a direct force measurement platform with pN (piconewton) resolution. With this system we are able to directly measure the Casimir force between a silver-coated microsphere and gold-coated silicon plate. This device is a step towards leveraging the Casimir Effect for cheap, sensitive, room temperature quantum metrology.
Highlights
One of the most commonly used technologies enabled by micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) are inertial sensors[1,2]
We present a technique that allows us to glue microspheres directly to the proof-mass of a MEMS inertial sensor without compromising its functionality
The pipette or probe tip can be moved in plane with a micromanipulator, while the Z position is controlled with nanometer precision using the piezoelectric actuator
Summary
One of the most commonly used technologies enabled by micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) are inertial sensors[1,2]. These devices are a part of our everyday lives, from sensing the orientation of smartphones (low g) to detecting collisions in automobiles in order to deploy airbags (high g). The proof-mass of these sensors typically weigh around 1 μg, meaning the devices are capable of resolving forces below 1 pN. Such force sensitivity is comparable to the performance of an atomic force microscope (AFM), but is realized on a single millimeter-scale chip and costs just tens of dollars per device. We show that by attaching a silver-coated microsphere to its proofmass, a commercial MEMS inertial sensor can measure the Casimir force that is exerted onto the microsphere, and directly onto the proof-mass of the sensor, due to its interaction with an external metallized plate
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