Title: Vacuum fluctuations and Casimir forces
When: 10 October 2025, 12:00h
Where: Seminar Room – Module 4 of Faculty of Science
Speaker: Serge Reynaud, Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, ENS- PSL & Collège de France (Campus Pierre et Marie Curie Paris)
Abstract: Empty space contains vacuum fluctuations which are responsible for observable physical effects such as Casimir forces felt by any object as a result of radiation pressure of these fluctuations. This prediction of Quantum Field Theory lies at the interface with open problems of modern physics such as the puzzle of vacuum energy. The ideal expression which was written by Hendrik Casimir for perfect mirrors at zero temperature is not sufficient for comparison with experiments. Optical properties of mirrors, thermal fluctuations, dissipation, geometry, surface defects, have to be taken into account to this aim [1]. Casimir forces are ubiquitous in many domains of physics. It has recently been shown in experiments performed at UFRJ Rio de Janeiro [2] and in theoretical developments that dielectric matter feels the Casimir force in salted water, which can be important down to the cell scale [3]
1. “Casimir forces”, Lectures at Les Houches Summer School, Quantum Optics and Nanophotonics, Fabre C. ed. (Oxford Univ Press, 2017) 407-455 arXiv
2. “Probing the screening of the Casimir interaction with optical tweezers”, Physical Review Research 3: 033037 (2021) arXiv
3. “Universal Casimir attraction between filaments at the cell scale”, New Journal of Physics 26: 013009 (2024) arXiv