Scientists crack levitation
Scientists in Scotland have found a way to levitate small objects by reversing naturally occurring forces.
Professor Ulf Leonhardt and Dr Thomas Philbin of the University of St Andrews School of Physics & Astronomy have developed a special lens that allows them to reverse Casimir force – the natural attraction that draws small particles together.
Casimir force, first discovered in 1948 and measured in 1997, is a major problem in nanotechnology, since it causes atomic-sized particles to clump together.
Professor Leonhardt explained: "The Casimir force is the ultimate cause of friction in the nano-world, in particular in some microelectromechanical systems.
