Researchers tune Casimir force using magnetic fields (phys.org) The Casimir effect is also known as Zero Point Energy, and is notoriously difficult to measure. Its most famous measurement is made by holding two metal plates close together, and measuring how they repel each other. This is the first experiment I know of, that can measure Zero Point Energy as either attractive or repulsive. The ability to switch from one to the other means it could be possible to extract free energy from the system, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Optical hysteresis has already been used to take faster and weaker measurements than any other known method, and this experiment could lead to the most sensitive measurements possible. You could say, absolute zero energy is impossible, and this helps to establish how energy and information exchange identities. It would be interesting to see them set up a pendulum system, or harmonic oscillator, and see if they can measure nonlinear temporal dynamics.
