Capacitance measurements and electrostatic calibrations in experiments measuring the Casimir force

TL;DR

This paper evaluates capacitance measurements in Casimir force experiments, showing their limitations in model discrimination and confirming their consistency with perfect spherical surface models.

Contribution

It demonstrates that capacitance measurements cannot distinguish between different spherical surface models and validates the use of perfect sphere models in Casimir force experiments.

Findings

Capacitance measurements cannot discriminate between spherical surface models.

Data aligns well with perfect spherical surface theoretical predictions.

Claims of model discrimination in recent literature are based on irregular comparisons.

Abstract

We compare the results of capacitance measurements in the lens-plane and sphere-plane configurations with theoretical predictions from various models of a spherical surface. It is shown that capacitance measurements are incapable of discriminating between models of perfect and modified spherical surfaces in an experiment demonstrating the anomalous scaling law for the electric force. Claims to the contrary in the recent literature are explained by the use of irregular comparison. The data from capacitance measurements in an experiment measuring the Casimir force using a micromechanical torsional oscillator are shown to be in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions using the model of a perfect spherical surface.