LinkNotes: Incredible Levitation Effects

2008-06-04

Incredible Levitation Effects

According to calculations done by physicists of the University of St Andrews the normally attractive Casimir force between two surfaces can be made repulsive. The repulsive force may even be strong enough to levitate a tiny mirror. In theory the discovery could be used to levitate bigger objects too.

clipped from www.st-andrews.ac.uk

Scientist float levitation theory

St Andrews scientists have discovered a new way of levitating tiny objects - paving the way for future applications in nanotechnology.

Theoretical physicists at the University of St Andrews have created `incredible levitation effects' by engineering the force of nature which normally causes objects to stick together by quantum force. By reversing this phenomenon, known as `Casimir force', the scientists hope to solve the problem of tiny objects sticking together in existing novel nanomachines.