Dispersion Forces and Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems

This workshop focuses on the role of dispersion forces derived from quantum electrodynamics (QED) and their effects on nanoelectromechanical devices and related physical systems. The participants should include theorists, experimentalists, computational physicists, material scientists, and engineers. The goal is to connect people who work in the field of surface force measure-ments in general with people who work only on QED derived forces, such the Casimir and van der Waals forces, and to further their understanding of the influence of these forces in MEMS/NEMS. Physicists, engineers, chemists, and material scientists working in this field often face a common challenge – to deal with and benefit from natural or artificial surface roughness, temperature effects, finite conductivity, etc. Despite common problems, researchers are often unaware of progress beyond their narrow area of expertise. The proposed workshop will address this gap. In addition, we will appeal to graduate students to participate in the workshop in order to enhance their knowledge of dispersion force measurement and related quantum field theory aspects.

Our proposition derives from exploiting progress in surface force measurements on the one hand, and on the other in fabrication down to nanometer-length scales of device structures that incorporate mechanical motion and that may be designed to perform a variety of functions in optical, electrical, and, in particular, mechanical and mixed domain applications. The workshop format seems to be advantageous for our purposes. We want to give time for researchers from different fields to get acquainted with each other and to initiate collaborations. The list of topics for discussion includes the following major groups of issues:

·        Influence of plate surface roughness, temperature, finite conductivity, surface plasmons, and electromagnetic properties on the Casimir-van der Waals interaction.

·        Effects from changes of  conduction properties (from metal to insulator), and effects of boundary geometry on Casimir forces

·        Influence of dispersion forces on pull-in/out characteristics in capacitive   MEMS/NEMS, and stiction-adhesion problems.

·        Micromechanics and measurements at nanoscale.

This is an open workshop. We invite all our colleagues, in particular those in the Netherlands, to participate. We specifically encourage participation by junior scientists (graduate students and postdocs and to present, if possible, a poster related to the workshop topic). The number of potential participants is limited only by the capacity of the facilities and availability of funds. Please, note that the registration fee will be100 Euro (50 Euro for students).

The invited speakers (about 18-20 people) will be chosen equally between experimentalists, theorists, and computer simulation experts within all fields. Each keynote invitee will be asked to present an overview-type talk on the corresponding research area.