A frustrated non-contact rack-pinion-rack device

A design is proposed for a mechanical device made of a nanoscale pinion sandwiched without contact between two racks that exert opposing forces rooted in the quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field via the lateral Casimir force. The built-in frustration in the design of the system helps it...

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Chi tiết về thư mục
Những tác giả chính: Miri, M, Ramin, G
Định dạng: Journal article
Ngôn ngữ:English
Được phát hành: IOP Publishing 2009
Miêu tả
Tóm tắt:A design is proposed for a mechanical device made of a nanoscale pinion sandwiched without contact between two racks that exert opposing forces rooted in the quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field via the lateral Casimir force. The built-in frustration in the design of the system helps it to react dramatically to minute changes in the geometrical features, which suggests that it could act as a good sensor. The noncontact nature of this device could help solve the infamous wear problem in nanoscale mechanical devices. © 2009 IOP Publishing Ltd.