Mysterious quantum forces unraveled: New way to calculate Casimir effects -- and to keep micromachines’ parts from sticking together

Discovered in 1948, Casimir forces are complicated quantum forces that affect only objects that are very, very close together. They're so subtle that for most of the 60-odd years since their discovery, engineers have safely ignored them. But in the age of tiny electromechanical devices, Casimir forces have emerged as troublemakers, since they can cause micromachines' tiny moving parts to stick together.

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