Navigation Links
Researchers measure elusive repulsive force from quantum fluctuations
Date:1/7/2009

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. January 7, 2008 Researchers from Harvard University and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have measured, for the first time, a repulsive quantum mechanical force that could be harnessed and tailored for a wide range of new nanotechnology applications.

The study, led by Federico Capasso, Robert L. Wallace Professor of Applied Physics at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), will be published as the January 8 cover story of Nature.

The discovery builds on previous work related to what is called the Casimir force. While long considered only of theoretical interest, physicists discovered that this attractive force, caused by quantum fluctuations of the energy associated with Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, becomes significant when the space between two metallic surfaces, such as two mirrors facing one another, measures less than about 100 nanometers.

"When two surfaces of the same material, such as gold, are separated by vacuum, air, or a fluid, the resulting force is always attractive," explained Capasso.

Remarkably, but in keeping with quantum theory, when the scientists replaced one of the two metallic surfaces immersed in a fluid with one made of silica, the force between them switched from attractive to repulsive. As a result, for the first time, Capasso and his colleagues measured what they have deemed a repulsive Casimir.

To measure the repulsive force, the team immersed a gold coated microsphere attached to a mechanical cantilever in a liquid (bromobenzene) and measured its deflection as the distance from a nearby silica plate was varied.

"Repulsive Casimir forces are of great interest since they can be used in new ultra-sensitive force and torque sensors to levitate an object immersed in a fluid at nanometric distances above a surface. Further, these objects are free to rotate or translate relative to each other with minimal static friction becau
'/>"/>

Contact: Michael Patrick Rutter
mrutter@seas.harvard.edu
617-496-3815
Harvard University
Source:Eurekalert  

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related biology technology :

1. Researchers improve ability to write and store information on electronic devices
2. Long-awaited international ethical guidelines for biobank researchers
3. CU researchers shed light on light-emitting nanodevice
4. Stevens researchers provide new information about mass spectrometry
5. Researchers measure carbon nanotube interaction
6. Researchers underscore limitations of genetic ancestry tests
7. ASU researchers improve memory devices using nanotech
8. UD researchers race ahead with latest spintronics achievement
9. Researchers outline structure of largest nonvirus particle ever crystallized
10. Ames Laboratory researchers solve fuel-cell membrane structure conundrum
11. Researchers use magnetism to target cells to animal arteries
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
Related Image:
Researchers measure elusive repulsive force from quantum fluctuations
Researchers measure elusive repulsive force from quantum fluctuations
(Date:12/11/2009)... Dendreon Corporation (Nasdaq: DNDN ) ... announced public offering have exercised in full their ... common stock at the public offering price of ... option increases the size of the offering to ... Dendreon expects to receive net proceeds from ...
(Date:12/11/2009)... -- Algeta ASA (OSE: ALGETA), the,cancer therapeutics ... in the,US, the Tulane Cancer Center, New ... III clinical study of Alpharadin in men ... that has metastasized to the skeleton. , ... in SYMptomatic Prostate CAncer) study is a,double-blind, ...
(Date:12/10/2009)... SEATTLE, Dec. 10 Dendreon Corporation (Nasdaq: ... underwritten public offering of 15,000,000 shares of its common ... per share. Dendreon also granted to the underwriters ... 2,250,000 shares of common stock to cover overallotments, if ... December 15, 2009, subject to customary closing conditions. ,, ...
(Date:12/10/2009)... -- Newly published research, by investigators, at ... (NESCI) in the journal STEM CELLS reported ... with "Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency" (LSCD) using ... need of suppressing their immunity. ,, ... a painful, blinding disease that requires long-term, ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Dendreon Announces Exercise of Option by Underwriters in its Common Stock Offering 2Dendreon Announces Exercise of Option by Underwriters in its Common Stock Offering 3Algeta Announces First US Patient Randomized in ALSYMPCA Phase III Study at Tulane Cancer Center, New Orleans 2Algeta Announces First US Patient Randomized in ALSYMPCA Phase III Study at Tulane Cancer Center, New Orleans 3Algeta Announces First US Patient Randomized in ALSYMPCA Phase III Study at Tulane Cancer Center, New Orleans 4Dendreon Announces Pricing of Common Stock Offering 2Dendreon Announces Pricing of Common Stock Offering 3Successful Stem Cell Therapy for Treatment of Eye Disease 2Successful Stem Cell Therapy for Treatment of Eye Disease 3Successful Stem Cell Therapy for Treatment of Eye Disease 4
... Uses High Efficiency Fluorescence Polarization (HEFP) detection method , Detects ... enzyme preparations , Requires no separation or wash steps , ... Introduction , ... monophosphate (cAMP) is a second messenger involved in the transduction ...
... Ph.D., Jinfang Liao, M.D., Ph.D., Mary Kassinos, Irina Osetinsky and Jayne ... , , ... Fluorescent proteins have become enormously popular as tools for monitoring biological ... of cells and organisms, from bacteria and yeast, to plants and ...
... INTRODUCTION , ... done just after dispensing the activating reagent or after a ... been improved towards providing more stable signal. These so-called glow ... flash type reagents will always have one advantage, sensitivity. In ...
Other Biology Technology:cAMP DataFile: Homogenous Cyclic AMP detection using High Efficiency Fluorescence Polarization 2cAMP DataFile: Homogenous Cyclic AMP detection using High Efficiency Fluorescence Polarization 3measurement of green fluorescent proteins and a red fluorescent protein in live cells in the Analyst GT multimode reader 2measurement of green fluorescent proteins and a red fluorescent protein in live cells in the Analyst GT multimode reader 3measurement of green fluorescent proteins and a red fluorescent protein in live cells in the Analyst GT multimode reader 4measurement of green fluorescent proteins and a red fluorescent protein in live cells in the Analyst GT multimode reader 5A highly sensitive ATP-luminescence assay using VICTOR2 with the dispenser option 2
(Date:12/11/2009)... 11, 2009 Keystone Symposia on Molecular and ... of five new Keystone Symposia Fellows for 2010. ... talented early-career life scientists (postdoctoral trainees or assistant ... process for one year. Fellows are selected based ... commitment to promoting diversity in the biomedical and ...
(Date:12/11/2009)... weight by eating less and exercising more improved their ... of Medicine in St. Louis. , The results of ... issue of the Journal of the American College ... improvement in four key measures of heart and vascular ... decreased thickness of heart muscle, improved pumping and relaxation ...
(Date:12/11/2009)... German . , Halle/Saale. With increasing ... extinctions, plant communities of many European regions are ... more frequently, whereas rare species are becoming extinct. ... are becoming increasingly similar, but also the phylogenetic ... a loss of uniqueness among European floras, scientists ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Keystone Symposia appoints 5 Fellows as part of diversity in life science initiative 2Keystone Symposia appoints 5 Fellows as part of diversity in life science initiative 3Keystone Symposia appoints 5 Fellows as part of diversity in life science initiative 4Moderate weight loss in obese people improves heart function 2Moderate weight loss in obese people improves heart function 3Europe's flora is becoming impoverished 2Europe's flora is becoming impoverished 3In Case You Missed It 3A Landrieu Discusses Health Care Reform on MSNBC 59868 1Oncolytics Biotech 28R 29 Inc Announces Investment in Private Biotechnology Company 14550 1Oncolytics Biotech 28R 29 Inc Announces Investment in Private Biotechnology Company 14550 2Dr Mahdi B Fawzi Joins Warner Chilcott as President Global Research and Development 5622 1
... 200,000 Americans find out that the largest blood vessel in ... About 20,000 die suddenly from such a rupture. And another ... of aorta before time runs out. , But despite the ... AAA ("triple A"), experts know very little about why it ...
... dramatic changes may soon occur in Africa's vegetation in response ... on a similar scale to the climatic disruption in the ... ago. , Scientists in the University's Environment Department studied the ... modelling the responses of more than 5000 plant species to ...
... detection of type 1 diabetes - as well as ... - has been the lack of direct, non-invasive technologies ... of disease. Instead, clinicians have had to await overt ... of the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas has ...
Other Biology News:Why do aneurysms form? New studies suggest leading role for white blood cells 2Why do aneurysms form? New studies suggest leading role for white blood cells 3Why do aneurysms form? New studies suggest leading role for white blood cells 4York scientists warn of dramatic impact of climate change on Africa 2New imaging technology shown to detect pancreatic inflammation in type 1 diabetes 2New imaging technology shown to detect pancreatic inflammation in type 1 diabetes 3
...
... array sample elements. , ,Includes: , DiscoverLight ... BSA in PBS (10X): 50 ml , ... , BupH Phosphate Buffered Saline: 8 packs ... ml ampules , SuperSignal West Pico Luminol Enhancer: 2 ...
... Obtain Clean and Accurate Results ... dramatically increase the sensitivity and accuracy of ... homogeneous cell types and multi-cellular structures isolated ... unique approach to microdissection-developed in 1996 at ...
Mouse monoclonal antibody raised against a partial recombinant DHX8. NCBI Entrez Gene ID = DHX8...
Biology Products: