In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers have demonstrated a case where the interactions of three particles in an emulsion do not behave in a linear manner. This phenomenon, known as the “Vielkörper-Effekt,” 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 has 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 in a linear manner when three particles interacted. This discovery challenges the fundamental assumption that the addition of forces is always linear, from gravity to electromagnetism.
The Vielkörper-Effekt has important implications for the construction of micromachines in nanotechnology. This discovery could lead to new ways of designing and building machines at the nanoscale, where the usual laws of physics do not always apply. The researchers’ use of the Casimir effect to demonstrate this effect is a significant breakthrough in the field of nanotechnology and could lead to new discoveries in the future.
