Casimir-Lifshitz Forces Research Articles

Casimir forces at the threshold of the Cherenkov effect

We study the Casimir-Lifshitz forces in a strongly nonreciprocal system: a waveguide filled with a medium moving at a relativistic velocity. In such a waveguide the waves propagate dominantly along a single direction that coincides with the direction of the velocity. Our theory shows that the Casimir forces acting on a piston in such a quasi-one-way waveguide vanish when the velocity approaches the Cherenkov threshold.

Effect of the heterogeneity of metamaterials on the Casimir-Lifshitz interaction

The Casimir-Lifshitz interaction between metamaterials is studied using a model that takes into account the structural heterogeneity of the dielectric and magnetic properties of the bodies. A recently developed perturbation theory for the Casimir-Lifshitz interaction between arbitrary material bodies is generalized to include non-uniform magnetic permeability profiles, and used to study the interaction between the magneto-dielectric heterostructures within the leading order. The metamaterials are modeled as two dimensional arrays of domains with varying permittivity and permeability. In the case of two semi-infinite bodies with flat boundaries, the patterned structure of the material properties is found to cause the normal Casimir-Lifshitz force to develop an oscillatory behavior when the distance between the two bodies is comparable to the wavelength of the patterned features in the metamaterials. The non-uniformity also leads to the emergence of lateral Casimir-Lifshitz forces, which tend to strengthen as the gap size becomes smaller. Our results suggest that the recent studies on Casimir-Lifshitz forces between metamaterials, which have been performed with the aim of examining the possibility of observing the repulsive force, should be revisited to include the effect of the patterned structure at the wavelength of several hundred nanometers that coincides with the relevant gap size in the experiments.

Ultralong-range Casimir-Lifshitz forces mediated by nanowire materials

Here, we show that the Casimir-Lifshitz force (either attractive or repulsive) between two planar material slabs embedded in a dense array of silver nanowires is an ultralong-range force that decays with the separation of the bodies, $a$, as $1/{a}^{2}$, whereas in an isotropic background it decays as $1/{a}^{4}$. It is demonstrated that the nanowires effectively channel the quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field through the region between the bodies, boosting in this manner the intensity of the Casimir force at long distances. Moreover, in a configuration involving a stationary planar slab and a spherical object able to slide within the nanowire background (e.g., an air bubble) the dependence of the force on the separation is shown to be $1/a$ as compared to $1/{a}^{3}$ in an isotropic background. Our theoretical calculations suggest that a significant repulsive Casimir force can be measured for distances up to 10 $\ensuremath{\mu}$m in such a scenario.

CASIMIR PHYSICS: GEOMETRY, SHAPE AND MATERIAL

The properties of fluctuation induced interactions like van der Waals and Casimir-Lifshitz forces are of interest in a plethora of fields ranging from biophysics to nanotechnology. Here we describe a general approach to compute these interactions. It is based on a combination of methods from statistical physics and scattering theory. We showcase how it is exquisitely suited to analyze a variety of previously unexplored phenomena. Examples are given to show how the interplay of geometry and material properties helps to understand and control these forces.

Casimir–Lifshitz interaction between dielectric heterostructures

The interaction between arbitrary dielectric heterostructures is studied within the framework of a recently developed dielectric contrast perturbation theory. It is shown that periodically patterned dielectric or metallic structures lead to oscillatory lateral Casimir–Lifshitz forces, as well as modulations in the normal force as they are displaced with respect to one another. The strength of these oscillatory contributions increases with decreasing gap size and increasing contrast in the dielectric properties of the materials used in the heterostructures.

Casimir-Lifshitz interaction between dielectrics of arbitrary geometry: A dielectric contrast perturbation theory

The general theory of electromagnetic-fluctuation-induced interactions in dielectric bodies as formulated by Dzyaloshinskii, Lifshitz, and Pitaevskii is rewritten as a perturbation theory in terms of the spatial contrast in (imaginary) frequency dependent dielectric function. The formulation can be used to calculate the Casimir-Lifshitz forces for dielectric objects of arbitrary geometry, as a perturbative expansion in the dielectric contrast, and could thus complement the existing theories that use perturbation in geometrical features. We find that expansion in dielectric contrast recasts the resulting Lifshitz energy into a sum of the different many-body contributions. The limit of validity and convergence properties of the perturbation theory is discussed using the example of parallel semi-infinite objects for which the exact result is known.

Quantum force turns repulsive

The experimental verification that a bizarre quantum effect — the Casimir force — can manifest itself in its repulsive form is pivotal not only for fundamental physics but also for nanotechnology. Space is not completely empty; the vacuum teems with quantum mechanical energy fluctuations able to generate an attractive force between objects that are very close to each other. This 'Casimir–Lifshitz' force can cause static friction or 'stiction' in nanomachines, which must be strongly reduced. Until now only attractive interactions have been reported but in theory, if vacuum is replaced by certain media, Casimir–Lifshitz forces should become repulsive. This has now been confirmed experimentally. Repulsion, weaker than the attractive force, was measured in a carefully chosen system of interacting materials immersed in fluid. The magnitude of both forces increases as separation decreases. The repulsive forces could conceivably allow quantum levitation of objects in a fluid and lead to new types of switchable nanoscale devices with ultra-low static friction. Levitation depends only on the dielectric properties of the various materials. The cover illustrates repulsion between a tiny gold sphere and a silica substrate (left). Replace the silica with gold (right), and the force becomes attractive.

Measured long-range repulsive Casimir–Lifshitz forces

Quantum fluctuations create intermolecular forces that pervade macroscopic bodies. At molecular separations of a few nanometres or less, these interactions are the familiar van der Waals forces. However, as recognized in the theories of Casimir, Polder and Lifshitz, at larger distances and between macroscopic condensed media they reveal retardation effects associated with the finite speed of light. Although these long-range forces exist within all matter, only attractive interactions have so far been measured between material bodies. Here we show experimentally that, in accord with theoretical prediction, the sign of the force can be changed from attractive to repulsive by suitable choice of interacting materials immersed in a fluid. The measured repulsive interaction is found to be weaker than the attractive. However, in both cases the magnitude of the force increases with decreasing surface separation. Repulsive Casimir-Lifshitz forces could allow quantum levitation of objects in a fluid and lead to a new class of switchable nanoscale devices with ultra-low static friction.