Zero-Point Capacitor Stack

Overview

The Casimir effect — an attractive force between two closely spaced uncharged conducting plates arising from vacuum fluctuation pressure imbalance — is the one solid experimental confirmation that zero-point vacuum energy is real and can exert measurable force. This device constructs a stacked capacitor array with plate separations in the 100–500 nm range (achievable with thermal oxidation spacers or piezo-controlled gap), instruments the force vs. gap relationship to characterize the Casimir energy density, and investigates whether asymmetric plate geometries (corrugated or sawtooth) produce a net force component that can perform mechanical work. The plan includes silicon wafer preparation, thermal oxide spacer deposition, piezo actuation, interferometric gap measurement, and force measurement via cantilever deflection. This is rigorous nanoscale physics — not science fiction.

Intended Research Use