About 50 years ago, Hendrik Casimir discovered that vacuum between two surfaces there is a certain attraction force.This power can create a revolution in science.
If you take two mirrors and place them in the empty space between them begins attraction, because between them there is a vacuum.This phenomenon was discovered by Casimir in 1948, when he was engaged in research at the research center in Eindhoven.This phenomenon has been called the Casimir effect, while the force that occurs between two mirrors - the Casimir force.
For a long time it was thought that the Casimir effect - is nothing more than an amusing theory.However, recently there has been increased interest in this phenomenon.It was found that the Casimir force directly affects the microscopic mechanisms, and due to the progress in the technical equipment of this force can be measured with high accuracy.
This effect may be some interest for fundamental physics.There are many theories, according to which there are extensive additional measurements in ten and eleven-theories.According to these theories, there is a certain deviation from the standard Newtonian gravity at distances in the smallest fraction of a millimeter.Therefore, by measuring the effects of the Casimir effect, you can check these hypotheses.
Learning Casimir colloids
working in the research center in Eindhoven, Casimir studied the properties characteristic of colloidal solutions.These are substances with a high viscosity, which have a particle size of a micron.Their properties are determined by Van der Waals forces - a long-range attractive forces that occur between molecules and atoms are neutral.
Theo Overbeek, associate Casimir said that the theory of Fritz London for the description of van der Waals forces can not give a correct estimate of experimental data.He asked Casimir, that he worked on this problem.Casimir been found that it is impossible to correctly describe the interactions observed between 2 neutral molecules, assuming that the speed of light is constant.
They then pointed out that this result can be described, taking into account fluctuations in the atom.Fluctuation - a term which is characterized by all kinds of fluctuations and periodic changes.Then the scientist thought that instead of two molecules can install two mirrors that are rotated to each other reflecting the parties.So he predicted an attractive force that exists between the reflecting plates.
dynamic Casimir effect
According to quantum theory, the vacuum is not an ordinary emptiness.In it there are regular power fluctuations - virtual particles and antiparticles are born and die.They are able to apply pressure.This phenomenon is called "static Casimir effect."It was proved by experiments.Theoretically, however, there is a dynamic Casimir effect - the transformation of vacuum fluctuations in the real particles (eg, photons).It is this effect has been observed by scientists.
the dynamic Casimir effect should happen swing mirrors, with their speed was comparable to the speed of light.To do this, physicists had to establish a strong magnetic field of metal surface.Speed ​​fluctuations of this field is eleven billion times per second.Surface began to deform at a rate which was 5% of the light, and the output was recorded occurrence photons.Based on the properties of photons, it could be argued that they appear in pairs.
