A Final Release: My Senior Comps
My comps is finished—version three is the final release. Carleton’s senior thesis requirement is done, and the document is now in a state I can tag “stable.”
Scope and Structure
The paper is an introduction to the Casimir effect. It draws together quantum electrodynamics, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, numerical modeling, material science, history of science, and a selection of experimental literature. There is no original research in it, aside from correcting what I suspect is a widely known typo in the parallel-plates derivation. The goal was always simpler: figure things out, then explain them to other people.
Process and Review
The text grew out of six months of books, papers, and conversations with advisors and peers. Last term I also delivered a 70-minute talk for a general audience, which went reasonably well. Since then, I have been working through feedback from faculty and peer advisors across two rounds of review. Their reaction has been positive from the start, but I have now, I hope, addressed the remaining concerns they raised.
