Special Talk
Casimir Forces and Torques on Nanostructures
Presented by Alejandro Manjavacas
Fluctuation-induced forces exist between polarizable atoms, nonpolar
molecules, and structured materials, emerging as a result of the vacuum
and thermal fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. Specifically
known as van der Waals or London dispersion forces at short-range
distances, Casimir-Polder forces when taking retardation into account,
and Casimir-Lifshitz forces when including material dispersion, these
are generally referred to as Casimir forces. There is strong evidence
that various phenomena in nature such as adhesion and stiction are a
result of these forces, and therefore, their study is very relevant to
understand the mechanical behavior of nanodevices, for which these
forces can play a dominant role. Furthermore, vacuum and thermal
fluctuations also produce friction on moving nanostructures; for
instance, it has been predicted that a nanoparticle rotating in vacuum
experiences a Casimir torque that slows its angular velocity and
eventually stops it.
In this talk we will provide a tutorial approach to understand Casimir
interactions between nanostructures and discuss how these interactions
condition the dynamics of nanoscale objects.
3:30 pm, Thursday, November 1, 2018
PAIS-2540, PAIS
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A schedule of talks within the Department of Physics and Astronomy is available on the P&A web site at http://physics.unm.edu/pandaweb/events/index.php