Measurement of the Short-Range Attractive Force between Ge Plates Using a Torsion Balance

Journal Article · Fri Aug 07 00:00:00 EDT 2009 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.103.060401· OSTI ID:21370619

Kim, W J; Sushkov, A O; Lamoreaux, S K ^[1]; Dalvit, D A. R. ^[2]

---

1. Yale University, Department of Physics, P.O. Box 208120, New Haven, Connecticut 06520 (United States)
2. Theoretical Division, MS B213, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)

We have measured the short-range attractive force between crystalline Ge plates, and found contributions from both the Casimir force and an electrical force possibly generated by surface patch potentials. Using a model of surface patch effects that generates an additional force due to a distance dependence of the apparent contact potential, the electrical force was parametrized using data at distances where the Casimir force is relatively small. Extrapolating this model, to provide a correction to the measured force at distances less than 5 {mu}m, shows a residual force that is in agreement, within experimental uncertainty, with five models that have been used to calculate the Casimir force.

• OSTI ID: 21370619
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 103, Issue 6; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.060401; (c) 2009 The American Physical Society; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
CASIMIR EFFECT
GERMANIUM
PLATES
POTENTIALS
TORSION
ELEMENTS
METALS