by Astrid Lambrecht/ Nature 454, 836-837 (14 August 2008)
A vacuum may be devoid of matter, but its shape is still important. The
strength of the Casimir force caused by quantum fluctuations in the
space between surfaces is critically dependent on their nanometre-scale
shape.
Two reflecting plates facing each other in a vacuum attract. This startling phenomenon is known as the Casimir effect, named after the Dutch physicist Hendrik Casimir who discovered it in 1948.
Astrid Lambrecht is at the Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Campus Jussieu, Case 74, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v454/n7206/full/454836a.html
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