Casimir Ideal-Plate Scaling

Explore the fourth-power gap dependence of vacuum attraction between ideal conductors.

Experiment

In the interactive module, you can investigate the Casimir scaling behavior by adjusting the physical parameters. Follow these steps:

1. Select a value from the "Gap micrometers" dropdown to set the distance a between the plates. Notice how the pressure scales as 1/a⁴.
2. Select a value from the "Area square millimeters" dropdown to set the surface area A. This will linearly scale the total force and interaction energy.
3. Observe the signed energy curve and the attractive pressure derivative on the diagram to see how changes to these controls directly impact the interaction.

Try the interactive Casimir Ideal-Plate Scaling module to visualize these calculations.