Comments on: To Levitate Nano-Objects, Researchers Exploit a Force of Quantum Repulsion http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/01/08/to-levitate-nano-objects-researchers-exploit-a-force-of-quantum-repulsion/ 80beats is DISCOVER's news aggregator, weaving together the choicest tidbits from the best articles covering the day\'s most compelling topics. Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:03:40 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Thomas Prevenslik http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/01/08/to-levitate-nano-objects-researchers-exploit-a-force-of-quantum-repulsion/comment-page-1/#comment-17263 Thomas Prevenslik Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:34:29 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/01/08/to-levitate-nano-objects-researchers-exploit-a-force-of-quantum-repulsion/#comment-17263 Casimir extended the microscopic van der Waals force between atoms in a gas to the attraction between macroscopic bodies in a vacuum. However, recent experiments at Harvard have suggested that the Casimir force can be changed from attraction to repulsion by immersing micron sized gold and silicon structures in liquid bromobenzene. But this experiment not only falsely presupposes the Casimir attractive force exists, but then extends that falsity to conclude the attractive Casimir force can be changed to repulsion. Indeed, the Casimir force is shown to not exist because Casimir did not conserve the EM radiation in the gap between parallel plates, for if he would have, Casimir would have found the frequency of the EM radiation increases by QED as the gap decreases because the EM energy in the gap must be constant. The gradient of the constant EM energy with respect to the gap therefore vanishes and there is no Casimir force. See www.nanoqed.net But then what is the source of the Casimir force being measured? The answer is electrostatics. At gaps less than 100 nm, the frequency of the EM radiation reaches VUV levels and the plates charge oppositely by the photoelectric effect. Hence, the attractive force measured in Casimir experiments is electrostatic caused by the charging of the plates by VUV radiation. The usual attractive QED induced electrostatic force of oppositely charged gold and silicon structures is changed to repulsion upon immersion in bromobenzene because the latter is an electron scavenger that alters charge distribution. Casimir extended the microscopic van der Waals force between atoms in a gas to the attraction between macroscopic bodies in a vacuum. However, recent experiments at Harvard have suggested that the Casimir force can be changed from attraction to repulsion by immersing micron sized gold and silicon structures in liquid bromobenzene.

But this experiment not only falsely presupposes the Casimir attractive force exists, but then extends that falsity to conclude the attractive Casimir force can be changed to repulsion.

Indeed, the Casimir force is shown to not exist because Casimir did not conserve the EM radiation in the gap between parallel plates, for if he would have, Casimir would have found the frequency of the EM radiation increases by QED as the gap decreases because the EM energy in the gap must be constant. The gradient of the constant EM energy with respect to the gap therefore vanishes and there is no Casimir force. See http://www.nanoqed.net

But then what is the source of the Casimir force being measured?

The answer is electrostatics. At gaps less than 100 nm, the frequency of the EM radiation reaches VUV levels and the plates charge oppositely by the photoelectric effect. Hence, the attractive force measured in Casimir experiments is electrostatic caused by the charging of the plates by VUV radiation.

The usual attractive QED induced electrostatic force of oppositely charged gold and silicon structures is changed to repulsion upon immersion in bromobenzene because the latter is an electron scavenger that alters charge distribution.

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