Casimir nanoparticle levitation in vacuum with broadband perfect magnetic conductor metamaterials

Understand

The levitation of nanoparticles is essential in various branches of research.

• Casimir forces are natural candidates to tackle it but the lack of broadband metamaterials precluded repulsive forces in vacuum.
• We show sub-micron nanoparticle levitation in vacuum only based on the design of a broadband metamaterial perfect magnetic conductor surface, where the force is mostly given by the (quantum) zero-point contribution.
• In the harmonic regime of the center of mass dynamics, the characteristic frequency depends linearly on Planck's constant $\hbar$ while independent of the nanoparticle's volume.