A novel experimental approach for the detection of the dynamical Casimir effect

In order to observe the Casimir radiation we propose a new experimental scheme with no mechanically moving mirror. In fact we estimate that the power required for a sustained mechanical vibration would be beyond present experimental possibilities. Our apparatus consists of a superconducting electromagnetic resonant cavity with a wall covered by a semiconductor layer whose reflectivity is driven by a laser at gigahertz frequencies. The semiconductor thus acts as a moving mirror. Preliminary laboratory tests showed that a semiconductor can indeed reflect microwaves as efficiently as a conductor. In this paper we present the complete scheme that we intend to set up for the detection of the Casimir radiation.