In a surprising discovery, researchers have demonstrated a case where the interactions of three particles in an emulsion do not add up linearly. This phenomenon, known as the “Vielkörper effect,” prevents the usual linear addition of forces when multiple forces act on an object. The researchers found that the sum of the forces exerted by two particles on a third particle did not equal the sum of the individual forces. This effect could have important implications for the construction of micromachines in nanotechnology.
The researchers conducted their experiment using the Casimir effect, which causes small, insoluble particles to attract each other under certain conditions in a liquid mixture. They placed tiny glass beads in a mixture of water and 2,6-lutidine, which forms an emulsion like oil and water. By using optical tweezers to hold one bead and measure the reaction of the others, they found that the forces did not add up as expected when a third bead was introduced. This discovery challenges the fundamental assumption that forces add up linearly, which is true for most physical interactions from gravity to electromagnetism.
The Vielkörper effect could have important implications for the design of micromachines in nanotechnology, where precise control of forces is essential. The researchers’ use of the Casimir effect to demonstrate this effect highlights the importance of understanding the fundamental principles of physics in the development of new technologies. This discovery could lead to new insights into the behavior of particles at the smallest scales and could have implications for a wide range of fields, from materials science to biotechnology.
