Casimir force measurement using dynamic holography

The first holographic measurements are reported of the force between macroscopic objects mediated by zero-point electromagnetic fluctuations (Casimir force). A holographic interferometer is used to measure mirror oscillations with an amplitude of 1 pm. The objects under study are two thin metal films deposited on dielectric substrates. When one film is periodically oscillated, the first and second harmonics of the Casimir force acting on the other are detected. For the first time, an order-of-magnitude estimate is obtained for the Casimir force by using radiation pressure as a natural reference scale. The discrepancy between calculated and measured values of the Casimir force may be attributed to the small thickness and low conductivity of the metal films