Phys.org July 23, 2018
According to some physicists the next scientific breakthroughs could lie in the interplay between Casimir force and superconductivity. Researchers in the Netherlands developed a sensor that consists of a microchip on which two strings are placed in close proximity. The wires can be cooled down to cryogenic temperatures, making them superconducting. The strings have holes in the centre that act as an optical resonator trapping laser light of a certain wavelength. They used this light to measure small displacements between the two wires, in essence it is possible to measure the forces that are acting upon them at any temperature. With their unprecedented force sensitivity, they could disprove one of the more unlikely and controversial quantum gravity theories… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Artist’s impression of two strings covered in superconducting material, with the Casimir force pushing them together. Credit: Moritz Forsch, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology