casimir effect

Jonny_trigonometry

could you generate electricity by occilating a peizo-electric material by the use of the casimir force between two metal plates?

As the plates squeeze or strain the material (via casimir effect), the material would resist the squeezing or straining (due to hooke's law), and would resist to a point where it can't push or pull them anymore, at which point the plates would start to squeeze or strain the material again and therefore the system would occilate...

Jonny_trigonometry

please pardon my sorry excuse for a design, and drawing.

In this design, if a potential differance is established and the metal plates aren't insulated from the peizoelectric material, then the whole thing also turns into a capacitor which would further add a force in line with the casimir force, and the system would occilate with increased amplitude than with just the casimir force alone... i think.

maybe millions of these things (provided they are tiny enough) could be connected together to produce a practical current.

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James Jackson

Ah ha, a potential motion machine in disguise :)

I'd imagine what would happen would be that you'd just get a force equilibrium condition happening where attractive force = restorative deformation force. Certain conditions need to be met to have a harmonic oscillator, and this isn't going to meet any of them!

seratend

In physics, there is well known conservation laws that hold: energy and momentum.
When you try to build a system, you must not forget this basic principle: where the energy comes from and where does it go? It is always an exchange (no creation).

Apply this conservation to your ideal system. You will understand that the created current comes either from the energy you have used to separate the plates or the energy to precharge the capacitor. No energy creation.

If you have a problem in understanding that, replace your metal plates by an ideal inductor.

Without Energy-momentum conservation, we loose all the physical laws (at least the ones I know : ).

Seratend.

Jonny_trigonometry

"I'd imagine what would happen would be that you'd just get a force equilibrium condition happening where attractive force = restorative deformation force. Certain conditions need to be met to have a harmonic oscillator, and this isn't going to meet any of them!" - James Jackson

ya, you're right. Now that I think of it, in order for it to occilate, the casimir effect would have to decrease as the plates grew closer together, not increase. Thanks!