Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/S77905/01
Title:	Precision determination of Casimir force
Principal Investigator:	Speake, Professor CC
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	School of Physics and Astronomy
Organisation:	University of Birmingham
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 October 2004	Ends:	31 December 2007	Value (£):	276,641
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Instrumentation Eng. & Dev. Surfaces & Interfaces
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
Quantum mechanics predicts two fascinating properties of the microscopic world around us: firstly in some circumstances the distinction between particles and waves becomes blurred and secondly that particles (and also waves) possess a finite energy even at a temperature of absolute zero. Casimir realised that these aspects of the quantum world could manifest themselves in the everyday macroscopic world. This is truly remarkable. He predicted that the energy content of the quantum vacuum could be modified by the presence of metallic boundaries. If two parallel metal plates are close enough (say, a separation of about 1 micrometer) the difference between the energy densities in-between the plates and outside them leads to a measurable force. Due to its feebleness the Casimir force has become measurable only recently and preliminary results are only consistent with Casimir's prediction at the few per-cent level. Importantly there are still unresolved ambiguities in predictions of how the force varies with the geometry of the metal surfaces, for example.A good understanding of the properties of the quantum vacuum is central to our understanding of all the known forces and the evolution of our Universe. whose expansion now appears to be driven by some sort of vacuum energy. Greater understanding of the Casimir force will have applications in the manufacture of nanomachines (micro-electromechanical systems) where it dominates other interactions.This research aims at making the most precise and definitive determination of Casimir's force and at helping to resolve the ambiguities associated with variations in the force with geometry. We will pioneer methods of accurately measuring such short range weak forces.263 words.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.bham.ac.uk