The Aladin2 experiment: status and perspectives

Aladin2 is an experiment devoted to the first measurement of variations of Casimir energy in a rigid cavity. The main scientific motivation relies on the possibility of the first demonstration of a phase transition influenced by vacuum fluctuations. The principle of the measurement, based on the behaviour of the critical field for an in-cavity superconducting film, will be only briefly recalled, being discussed in detail in a different paper of the same conference (G Bimonte et al 2006 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 39 6161). In this paper, after an introduction to the long-term motivations, the experimental apparatus and the results of the first measurement of sensitivity will be presented in detail, particularly in comparison with the expected signal. Last, the most important steps towards the final measurement will be discussed