Quantum propulsion and trapping of nano-objects by inhomogeneity-induced lateral Casimir forces

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how inhomogeneity-induced lateral Casimir forces can be used to control, propel, and trap nano-objects with high precision, opening new avenues for quantum manipulation.

Contribution

It introduces the first rigorous analysis of lateral Casimir forces caused by inhomogeneous plates and explores their application in nano-object control and trapping.

Findings

Lateral Casimir force is significant near inhomogeneous plates.

Force can dominate Brownian motion for nano-objects.

Designing asymmetric nano-structures tailors the lateral Casimir force.

Abstract

Lateral Casimir force near a laterally-inhomogeneous plate is first revealed by both rigorous simulations and proximity approximations. The inhomogeneity-induced lateral Casimir force provides a novel method to control the lateral motion of nano-objects above the plate, and makes source-free manipulations of them possible. When incorporated with the Casimir repulsion in a fluid, the lateral Casimir force is shown to dominate over Brownian motion and enables long-distance quantum propulsion and firm quantum trapping of nano-objects. Gratings of varying filling factors to mimic micro-scale inhomogeneity also confirm those effects. The idea to design asymmetric distributions of nano-structures paves the way to sophisticated tailoring of the lateral Casimir force.