kd5mpm
01-10-2002, 05:02 AM
Something the more Scientific-minded among us may be interested in...
From:
http://www.lucent.com/press/0201/010209.bla.html
Scientists from Lucent Technologies' Bell Labs make microscopic seesaw that
moves due to spooky quantum physical force
FOR RELEASE FRIDAY FEBRUARY 09, 2001
Experiment supports 50-year-old theory and may lead to practical
applications
MURRAY HILL, N. J. -- Physicists at Lucent Technologies' (NYSE: LU) Bell
Labs have made a microscopic seesaw that moves in response to a little-known
but strong and pervasive force predicted by quantum mechanics, the
widely-accepted scientific theory that describes the behavior of atoms and
other microscopic particles.
This experiment, which will be reported in a forthcoming issue of the
journal Science, shows that esoteric physical effects are important in
designing nanoscale machines, which are 1,000 times smaller than today's
micromachines. It also suggests that such effects might be used to make
extremely sensitive sensors in the future.
The microscopic seesaw is the latest scientific advance from Bell Labs
physicists conducting research in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS),
tiny machines which are becoming crucial components in devices ranging from
complex optical switches in new data networks to actuators that deploy
airbags.
"We are using our expertise in MEMS to fashion creative experiments that
illustrate what little-known quantum effects come into play in extremely
small devices," said Federico Capasso, physical research vice president at
Bell Labs and a member of the team that produced the seesaw.
According to quantum mechanics, even empty space (vacuum) has a little
energy - known as zero-point energy - associated with it. This picture is
quite different from the classical understanding of a vacuum as completely
empty space without any energy. In the quantum description, a vacuum is
teeming with virtual photons that produce constantly oscillating
electromagnetic fields.
In 1948, Dutch physicist Hendrik Casimir predicted that this zero-point
energy would produce an attractive force between uncharged parallel metallic
plates that are very close together. The bizarre "Casimir force" was first
measured precisely by physicists in 1997.
Bell Labs physicists recently realized that the Casimir force could be used
to tilt a microscopic MEMS seesaw. They built the seesaw using a tiny
metallized plate that was balanced on a hinge and kept parallel to the
surface of a silicon chip. When a gold plated sphere suspended on a wire was
brought close to the seesaw - an experimental setup similar to the two
parallel plates - the seesaw was attracted toward the sphere in agreement
with Casimir's prediction. Their results show that quantum mechanical
effects play a significant role in MEMS systems when the separation between
components is in the nanometer range (a nanometer is one-billionth of a
meter).
Contact: kd5mpm
From:
http://www.lucent.com/press/0201/010209.bla.html
Scientists from Lucent Technologies' Bell Labs make microscopic seesaw that
moves due to spooky quantum physical force
FOR RELEASE FRIDAY FEBRUARY 09, 2001
Experiment supports 50-year-old theory and may lead to practical
applications
MURRAY HILL, N. J. -- Physicists at Lucent Technologies' (NYSE: LU) Bell
Labs have made a microscopic seesaw that moves in response to a little-known
but strong and pervasive force predicted by quantum mechanics, the
widely-accepted scientific theory that describes the behavior of atoms and
other microscopic particles.
This experiment, which will be reported in a forthcoming issue of the
journal Science, shows that esoteric physical effects are important in
designing nanoscale machines, which are 1,000 times smaller than today's
micromachines. It also suggests that such effects might be used to make
extremely sensitive sensors in the future.
The microscopic seesaw is the latest scientific advance from Bell Labs
physicists conducting research in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS),
tiny machines which are becoming crucial components in devices ranging from
complex optical switches in new data networks to actuators that deploy
airbags.
"We are using our expertise in MEMS to fashion creative experiments that
illustrate what little-known quantum effects come into play in extremely
small devices," said Federico Capasso, physical research vice president at
Bell Labs and a member of the team that produced the seesaw.
According to quantum mechanics, even empty space (vacuum) has a little
energy - known as zero-point energy - associated with it. This picture is
quite different from the classical understanding of a vacuum as completely
empty space without any energy. In the quantum description, a vacuum is
teeming with virtual photons that produce constantly oscillating
electromagnetic fields.
In 1948, Dutch physicist Hendrik Casimir predicted that this zero-point
energy would produce an attractive force between uncharged parallel metallic
plates that are very close together. The bizarre "Casimir force" was first
measured precisely by physicists in 1997.
Bell Labs physicists recently realized that the Casimir force could be used
to tilt a microscopic MEMS seesaw. They built the seesaw using a tiny
metallized plate that was balanced on a hinge and kept parallel to the
surface of a silicon chip. When a gold plated sphere suspended on a wire was
brought close to the seesaw - an experimental setup similar to the two
parallel plates - the seesaw was attracted toward the sphere in agreement
with Casimir's prediction. Their results show that quantum mechanical
effects play a significant role in MEMS systems when the separation between
components is in the nanometer range (a nanometer is one-billionth of a
meter).
Contact: kd5mpm