Ohio State University                   Physics Colloquium                        October 1, 2013

Levitation by Casimir Forces in and out of equilibrium

Mehran Kardar

Thosten Emig, Noah Graham, Robert Jaffe

Jamal Rahi, Matthias Krüger

Mohammad Maghrebi, Vlad Golyk


Outline

I.        Casimir force: Theory, Experiment, & Application

II.      Repulsion/Levitation? Boundary effects (fluids, meta-materials, ...); and Shapes (spheres, pistons, ...) 

III.     Scattering approach:  Formalism and applications

IV.     Earnshaw's theorem in electrostatics and for fluctuation-induced forces

V.       Thermal disequilibrium: Heat radiation and transfer, levitation and propulsion

VI.    Dynamic phenomena: Rotating object