Two rigid plates are vertically suspended by thread such that they are parallel to and opposite each other. The plates are partially submerged in a dish of liquid that is attached to the top of a vertical shake table. When the shake table is driven with noise in a frequency band, random surface waves are parametrically excited, and the plates move toward each other. The reason for this attraction is that the waves carry momentum, and the wave motion between the plates is visibly reduced. The behavior is analogous to the Casimir effect, in which two conducting uncharged parallel plates attract each other due to the zero-point spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. The water wave analog can be readily demonstrated and offers a visual demonstration of a Casimir-type effect. Measurements of the force agree with the water wave theory even at large wave amplitudes, where the theory is expected to break down. The water wave analog applies to side-by-side ships in a rough sea and is distinct from the significant attraction that can be caused by a strong swell.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
December 2009
PAPERS|
December 01 2009
A water wave analog of the Casimir effect
Bruce C. Denardo;
Bruce C. Denardo
a)
Department of Physics,
Naval Postgraduate School
, Monterey, California 93943
Search for other works by this author on:
Joshua J. Puda;
Joshua J. Puda
Department of Physics,
Naval Postgraduate School
, Monterey, California 93943
Search for other works by this author on:
Andrés Larraza
Andrés Larraza
Department of Physics,
Naval Postgraduate School
, Monterey, California 93943
Search for other works by this author on:
a)
Electronic mail: [email protected]
Am. J. Phys. 77, 1095–1101 (2009)
Article history
Received:
October 28 2008
Accepted:
August 03 2009
Citation
Bruce C. Denardo, Joshua J. Puda, Andrés Larraza; A water wave analog of the Casimir effect. Am. J. Phys. 1 December 2009; 77 (12): 1095–1101. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.3211416
Download citation file:
Pay-Per-View Access
$40.00
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Citing articles via
Ergodic Lagrangian dynamics in a superhero universe
I. L. Tregillis, George R. R. Martin
All objects and some questions
Charles H. Lineweaver, Vihan M. Patel
The most efficient thermodynamic cycle under general engine constraints
Christopher Ong, Shaun Quek
The spinorial ball: A macroscopic object of spin-1/2
Samuel Bernard-Bernardet, Emily Dumas, et al.
A story with twists and turns: How to control the rotation of the notched stick
Martin Luttmann, Michel Luttmann
Related Content
An acoustic Casimir effect
J Acoust Soc Am (May 1998)
The Casimir effect from a condensed matter perspective
Am. J. Phys. (November 2009)
Resource Letter CF-1: Casimir Force
American Journal of Physics (October 1999)
Casimir forces and boundary conditions in one dimension: Attraction, repulsion, Planck spectrum, and entropy
American Journal of Physics (October 2003)