Physics Colloquium: "Quantum vacuum engineering: the long road from Epicurean hooked atoms to nanodevices actuated by absolutely empty space," Dr. Fabrizio Pinto, InterStellar TechnologiesPhysics Colloquium: "Quantum vacuum engineering: the long road from Epicurean hooked atoms to nanodevices actuated by absolutely empty space," Dr. Fabrizio Pinto, InterStellar Technologieshttp://www.haverford.edu/calendar/details/110201Dorothy Vernon Room in Haffner Hall2009-11-09T18:30:002009-11-09T19:30:00
November 9, 6:30PM
Dorothy Vernon Room in Haffner Hall
At BMC Dorothy Vernon Room in Haffner Hall
Description
Quantum vacuum engineering: the long road from Epicurean hooked atoms to nanodevices actuated by absolutely empty space
Dr. Fabrizio Pinto
InterStellar Technologies
Neutral particles can and do attract neutral particles. Some of the brightest and earliest minds in the history of philosophical enquiry speculated about the ultimate cause of such mysterious forces. We shall follow these observations throughout the appearance of modern science, to Newton, to our modern understanding of the origin of dispersion forces, such as van der Waals and Casimir forces, ultimately based on quantum electrodynamics. We shall experience genius, frustration, mistakes, and even myth making by scientists, and we shall admire the climbing abilities of the gecko lizard from an entirely new perspective. We will also look at possible experimentation to actually detect the equivalent mass of interatomic energy in curved space-time. These are unique issues at the interface of quantum physics of empty space, engineering, finance, and society, with a robust mix of controversy. Among the current cutting edge questions, we will explore the challenge of computing dispersion forces, the possibility that they might be engineered in magnitude and sign, and what this means in device actuation, thermodynamics, and the current energy problem. During the discussion, we shall consider applications of dispersion forces in nanotechnology, their potential effect on our quality of life, and their future disruptive potential in the global marketplace.
Link: http://www.brynmawr.edu/physics/events/
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Michael B. Schulz
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