Levitodynamics: Levitation and control of microscopic objects in vacuum

Understand

The control of levitated nano- and micro-objects in vacuum is of considerable interest, capitalizing on the scientific achievements in the fields of atomic physics, control theory and optomechanics.

• The ability to couple the motion of levitated systems to internal degrees of freedom, as well as to external forces and systems, provides opportunities for science and technology.
• Attractive research directions, ranging from fundamental quantum physics to commercial sensors, have been unlocked by the many recent experimental achievements, including motional ground-state cooling of an optically levitated nanoparticle.
• We review the status, challenges and prospects of levitodynamics, the mutidisciplinary research devoted to understanding, controlling, and using levitated nano- and micro-objects in vacuum.