The Casimir effect in graphene systems: Experiment and theory

TL;DR

This paper reviews the Casimir effect in graphene, highlighting the large thermal correction at short separations, supported by experiments aligning with theoretical predictions, and discusses implications for Casimir physics.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of the thermal correction to the Casimir force in graphene systems, combining theoretical calculations with experimental validation.

Findings

Experimental data agree with Lifshitz theory predictions.

Large thermal effects are demonstrated at short separations.

Improvements in measurement techniques enhance detection of thermal corrections.

Abstract

The Casimir effect in graphene systems is reviewed with emphasis made on the large thermal correction to the Casimir force predicted at short separations between the test bodies. The computational results for the Casimir pressure and for the thermal correction are presented for both pristine graphene and real graphene sheets, which possess nonzero energy gap and chemical potential, obtained by means of exact polarization tensor. Two experiments on measuring the gradient of the Casimir force between an Au-coated sphere and graphene- coated substrates performed by using a modified atomic force microscope cantilever-based technique are described. It is shown that the measurement data of both experiments are in agreement with theoretical predictions of the Lifshitz theory using the polarization tensor. Additionally, several important improvements made in the second experiment, allowed to demonstrate the predicted large thermal effect in the Casimir interaction at short separations. Possible implications of this result to resolution of long-term problems of Casimir physics are discussed.