  Electrostatic forces between small groups of colloidal particles are measured
using blinking optical tweezers. When the electrostatic screening length is
significantly larger than the particle radius, forces are found to be
non-pairwise additive. Both pair and multi-particle forces are well described
by the linearized Poisson-Boltzmann equation with constant potential boundary
conditions. These findings may play an important role in understanding the
structure and stability of a wide variety of systems, from micron-sized
particles in oil to aqueous nanocolloids.
