Physicists clarify exotic force, but no 'Theory of Everything' yet [Casimir force]

Purdue University News Service ^ | 20 June 2005 | Staff

[PatrickHenry]

I added the Wikpedia link, and the bolding and underlining. Contact information and the paper's abstract [Constraining New Forces in the Casimir Regime Using the Isoelectronic Technique] are at the end of the article.

[PatrickHenry]

SciencePing

An elite subset of the Evolution list. See the list's description at my freeper homepage. Then FReepmail to be added or dropped.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Exotic Force? They're only now defining that? I've known what Exotic Force was ever since I got stationed in Las Vegas at the tender age of 21.

Exotic Force is the amount of force required to be exerted by a blonde haired dancer named Bambi in order to extract a one dollar bill from an individual sitting at the side of the bar. The amount of force decreases by a factor of three for each shot of straight liquor consumed by the individual in possession of the bill, and by a factor of seven for every six inches closer said dancer is to the possessor of the bill.

[Doctor Stochastic]

...if seen, would have been a revolutionary discovery...

I hate it when that happens.

[PatrickHenry]

Even a negative result is knowledge. Looks like gravity still won't quantize. Whatcha gonna do?

[Michael Goldsberry]

Is the Casimir force a collective term for the strong, weak and electromagnetic forces, excluding only gravity?

[Physicist]

Unfortunately for those in search of the so-called "Theory of Everything," the finding would seem to rule out the exceptions to his time-honored theories that physicists believe might occur when objects are tiny enough.

Codswallop. Not finding it at that scale is not the same thing as ruling it out. It just means it's a more subtle effect than one might hope.

[Physicist]

Is the Casimir force a collective term for the strong, weak and electromagnetic forces, excluding only gravity?

No, the Casimir force is a subtle effect of quantum electrodynamics, caused by virtual charged particles popping in and out of existence in the vacuum.

[PatrickHenry]

Codswallop.

Relax. They're going to try for more precision. The article says:

"We are trying to improve our experiment so it will be a million times more sensitive than it is now, which is already far more sensitive over this distance scale than anything done before," Decca said

[Physicist]

Looks like gravity still won't quantize.

Oh, but it will.

[aruanan]

No deviations from the expected behavior of gravity showed up in the experiment, but the team has plans to improve its methods to make even finer observations next time around.

...but the team has plans to improve its methods to make sure such effects show up.

[Michael Goldsberry]

Ah, thus ala Hawkins allowing a black hole to evaporate.

[Physicist]

Relax. They're going to try for more precision.

The scientists will, to be sure...but when will the science writers?

[Strategerist]

Is the Casimir force a collective term for the strong, weak and electromagnetic forces, excluding only gravity?

No. Follow the link to the Wikipedia explanation, it's pretty good.

It's caused by how particles and antiparticles randomly pop up out of nowhere constantly, part of quantum mechanics.

[DarkSavant]

What do they mean by theory of everything? Do they mean being able to clump all the different forces into one fundamental element, or the theory of "life, the universe, and everything" to paraphrase Adams. I can see the former but if it's the latter, good luck, it's logically impossible.

[Physicist]

...but the team has plans to improve its methods to make sure such effects show up.

So if these scientists are dishonest enough to fake an experimental result--and I don't know what entitles you to level such a scurrilous charge--why didn't they do it this time around?

[PatrickHenry]

Oh, but it will.

Thanks. I had forgotten that thread. That's what comes of being a dilettante in this game. Newton stood on the shoulders of giants. I just eavesdrop on their conversations.

[Physicist]

What do they mean by theory of everything? Do they mean being able to clump all the different forces into one fundamental element, or the theory of "life, the universe, and everything" to paraphrase Adams. I can see the former but if it's the latter, good luck, it's logically impossible.

They do intend the former, but how you use it is up to you. :-)

[Red Badger]

Maybe they should try staying in a Holiday Inn Express one night..........

[El Gato]

lambda of approximately 200 nm,

That's still way way larger than the scale upon which quantum gravity would be noticeable, at least according to most of the current theories, which is down around the Plank length of 1.6 x 10^(-35) meters. 200 nm is 2 X 10^(-7) meters.