@article {1531, title = {Casimir force between sharp-shaped conductors}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, volume = {108}, year = {2011}, month = {2011/04/11}, pages = {6867 - 6871}, abstract = { Casimir forces between conductors at the sub-micron scale cannot be ignored in the design and operation of micro-electromechanical (MEM) devices. However, these forces depend non-trivially on geometry, and existing formulae and approximations cannot deal with realistic micro-machinery components with sharp edges and tips. Here, we employ a novel approach to electromagnetic scattering, appropriate to perfect conductors with sharp edges and tips, specifically to wedges and cones. The interaction of these objects with a metal plate (and among themselves) is then computed systematically by a multiple-scattering series. For the wedge, we obtain analytical expressions for the interaction with a plate, as functions of opening angle and tilt, which should provide a particularly useful tool for the design of MEMs. Our result for the Casimir interactions between conducting cones and plates applies directly to the force on the tip of a scanning tunneling probe; the unexpectedly large temperature dependence of the force in these configurations should attract immediate experimental interest. }, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1018079108}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1010.3223v1}, author = {Mohammad F. Maghrebi and Sahand Jamal Rahi and Thorsten Emig and Noah Graham and Robert L. Jaffe and Mehran Kardar} }