U.S. scientists learn how to levitate tiny objects

[capthook]

"U.S. scientists have found a way to levitate the very smallest objects using the strange forces of quantum mechanics.

The discovery involves quantum mechanics, the principles that govern nature's smallest particles.

as devices became smaller and smaller, they would fall prey to what is known as the Casimir force, an attractive force that comes into play when two very tiny metallic surfaces make very close contact.

In very small objects, this force can cause moving parts to stick together, an effect known as stiction.

A Russian team had predicted this force could be reversed using the right combination of materials.

For Capasso's experiment, the team immersed a gold-coated sphere in a liquid and measured the force as the sphere was first attracted to a metallic plate, then repelled from a plate made from silica.

"By reducing the friction that hinders motion and contributes to wear and tear, the new technique provides a theoretical means for improving machinery at the microscopic and even molecular level," Dr. Duane Alexander of the NIH's National Institute of Child Health and Human Development said." "

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090107/sc_nm/us_nanotech_levitation_1

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Could offer a path to 'frictionless magnetic bearings' requiring no power source someday?

[BEP]

A NASA techbrief on passive magnetic bearings. I believe this version was tested some time ago.

http://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/2954

[Liberty]

"U.S. scientists have found a way to levitate the very smallest objects using the strange forces of quantum mechanics.

The discovery involves quantum mechanics, the principles that govern nature's smallest particles.

as devices became smaller and smaller, they would fall prey to what is known as the Casimir force, an attractive force that comes into play when two very tiny metallic surfaces make very close contact.

In very small objects, this force can cause moving parts to stick together, an effect known as stiction.

A Russian team had predicted this force could be reversed using the right combination of materials.

For Capasso's experiment, the team immersed a gold-coated sphere in a liquid and measured the force as the sphere was first attracted to a metallic plate, then repelled from a plate made from silica.

"By reducing the friction that hinders motion and contributes to wear and tear, the new technique provides a theoretical means for improving machinery at the microscopic and even molecular level," Dr. Duane Alexander of the NIH's National Institute of Child Health and Human Development said." "

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090107/sc_nm/us_nanotech_levitation_1

- - -

Could offer a path to 'frictionless magnetic bearings' requiring no power source someday?

In my opinion, the Casimir force is nothing more than basic magnetics.  In a "non-magnetized" (really non-magnetically aligned) state, particles that are already and (always) magnetic in a material, are attracted to other particles within the material creating a near closed loop magnetically.  If you put a plate with internal magnetic particles emitting a short range of magnetism, they can exert a small force to the side of a magnetic particle (in closed loop condition) when in close range to another plate in the same condition. 

In other words, if you take cylindrical magnets and stack them in a circle, (forming a near closed magnetic loop), then put another magnet ring in near closed loop, near to the side of the magnetic ring, a small magnetic leakage force may be present between the leakage of magnetic field from the near closed loop.  This is in my opinion the equivalent to the Casimir force in near by plates.