Recent progress in engineering the Casimir effect – applications to nanophotonics, nanomechanics, and chemistry

Quantum optics combines classical electrodynamics with quantum mechanics to describe how light interacts with material on the nanoscale, and many of the tricks and techniques used in nanophotonics can be extended to this quantum realm. Specifically, quantum vacuum fluctuations of electromagnetic fields experience boundary conditions that can be tailored by the nanoscopic geometry and dielectric properties of the involved materials. These quantum fluctuations give rise to a plethora of phenomena ranging from spontaneous emission to the Casimir effect, which can all be controlled and manipulated by changing the boundary conditions for the fields. Here, we focus on several recent developments in modifying the Casimir effect and related phenomena, including the generation of torques and repulsive forces, creation of photons from vacuum, modified chemistry, and engineered material functionality, as well as future directions and applications for nanotechnology.