Casimir effect

Casimir effect arises from quantum vacuum fluctuations

Casimir effect

Casimir effect arises from quantum vacuum fluctuations

The Casimir effect is a physical force acting on macroscopic boundaries due to quantum fluctuations of a field. Named after Hendrik Casimir, it was predicted for electromagnetic systems in 1948. The force is measurable and has been confirmed by experiments.

Example

In 1997, Steven K. Lamoreaux's experiment measured the Casimir force to be within 5% of the predicted value.

Understanding the Casimir effect helps us explore fundamental principles of quantum field theory and the nature of vacuum fluctuations.

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