The model used to calculate Casimir forces for variously shaped conducting plates in this paper assumes the vacuum energy pervades all space and that photons randomly pop into and out of existence. While they exist, they possess energy and momentum that can be transferred by reflection as in a light sail. Quantum mechanics in the model is entirely bound up in the Casimir equation of force per unit area. This model is compared with two different experiments: that of Chen and Mohideen demonstrating lateral Casimir forces for sinusoidally corrugated spherical and flat plates and Lamoreaux demonstrating normal Casimir forces between a conducting sphere and flat plate. The calculated forces using this model were compared to the forces obtained in these experiments as well as with calculations using the proximity force approximation. In both cases the results (when compared to the actual plates measured and calculated using non‐corrected equations) were less than a few parts per thousand different for the range of separation distances used. When the model was used to calculate forces on the opposite plates, different force magnitudes were obtained seemingly indicating prospects for propellentless propulsion but requiring skeptical verification.
A Light Sail Inspired Model to Harness Casimir Forces for Propellantless Propulsion
SPACE, PROPULSION & ENERGY SCIENCES INTERNATIONAL FORMUM SPESIF‐2010: 14th Conference on Thermophysics Applications in Microgravity 7th Symposium on New Frontiers in Space Propulsion Sciences 2nd Symposium on Astrosociology 1st Symposium on High Frequency Gravitational Waves ; 2010 ; Huntsville (Alabama)
AIP Conference Proceedings ; 1208 , 1 ; 153-167
2010-01-28
15 pages
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
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