Abstract
Achieving strong repulsive Casimir forces through engineered coatings can pave the way for micro- and nanoelectromechanical applications where adhesive forces currently cause reliability issues. Here, we exploit Lifshitz theory to identify the requirements for repulsive Casimir forces in gyrotropic media for two limiting cases (ultrastrong gyroelectric and nongyroelectric). We show that the origin of repulsive force in media with strong gyrotropy such as Weyl semimetals arises from the giant interconversion of polarization of vacuum fluctuations.
- Received 6 February 2021
- Revised 12 September 2021
- Accepted 30 September 2021
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.16.044047
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