Nanomechanical sensing of gravitational wave-induced Casimir force perturbations

Abstract

It is shown by means of the optical medium analogy that the static Casimir force between two conducting plates is modulated by gravitational waves. The magnitude of the resulting force changes within the range of already existing small force metrology. It is suggested to enhance the effects on a Casimir force oscillator by mechanical parametric amplification driven by periodic illumination of interacting semiconducting boundaries. This represents a novel opportunity for the ground-based laboratory detection of gravitational waves on the nanoscale.