Mysterious Micrometer Force Defies Casimir Effect Predictions in Physics Breakthrough
Scientists have discovered a powerful attractive force in microscopic cavities that defies conventional physics explanations. The observed force exceeds Casimir effect predictions by orders of magnitude, suggesting unknown physical phenomena at play.
Unexplained Microscopic Force Challenges Physics Models
Researchers investigating microscopic optomechanical systems have observed an unexpectedly strong attractive force that cannot be explained by conventional Casimir effect calculations, according to a recent study published in Nature Physics. The research team led by Pate et al. examined a narrow-gap re-entrant cavity coupled to a silicon nitride membrane resonator coated with either gold or niobium, revealing forces that dramatically exceed theoretical predictions.