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Main Author: Bimonte, Giuseppe
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.04237
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author Bimonte, Giuseppe
author_facet Bimonte, Giuseppe
contents Pate et al. \cite{pate} investigated a macroscopic opto-mechanical system with a narrow-gap re-entrant cavity coupled to a SiN membrane resonator coated with Au or Nb. They observed a significant increase in the membrane's effective spring constant $k_{\rm eff}$ for sub-2-micron gaps $x$. This increase scales roughly with $x^{-4}$, suggesting an attractive force pulling the membrane towards the re-entrant Al post, with an $x^{-3}$ dependence. Attributing this force solely to the thermal Casimir effect is challenged by our detailed calculations (presented below). These calculations reveal that the Casimir force, at the investigated gap sizes, is orders of magnitude weaker than the observed force. This significant discrepancy necessitates an alternative explanation for the observed attraction.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_04237
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Casimir force inadequacy in explaining a strong attractive force in a micrometer-sized narrow-gap re-entrant cavity
Bimonte, Giuseppe
Quantum Physics
Applied Physics
Pate et al. \cite{pate} investigated a macroscopic opto-mechanical system with a narrow-gap re-entrant cavity coupled to a SiN membrane resonator coated with Au or Nb. They observed a significant increase in the membrane's effective spring constant $k_{\rm eff}$ for sub-2-micron gaps $x$. This increase scales roughly with $x^{-4}$, suggesting an attractive force pulling the membrane towards the re-entrant Al post, with an $x^{-3}$ dependence. Attributing this force solely to the thermal Casimir effect is challenged by our detailed calculations (presented below). These calculations reveal that the Casimir force, at the investigated gap sizes, is orders of magnitude weaker than the observed force. This significant discrepancy necessitates an alternative explanation for the observed attraction.
title Casimir force inadequacy in explaining a strong attractive force in a micrometer-sized narrow-gap re-entrant cavity
topic Quantum Physics
Applied Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.04237