Characterization of magnetically levitated water drops

In order to isolate, manipulate, and measure macroscopic objects with high precision, levitation has proven a promising avenue. Previously, we described a tabletop magneto-gravitational trap that used permanent magnets to stably levitate glass microspheres. Now, we present the characterization of the loading and center-of-mass motion of water droplets of tens of micrometers in diameter in the same trap. We compare the resonant frequencies of oscillation along the three principal axes of the trap with results based on numerical simulation of the trapping potential. We will also discuss surface modes of the levitated water drops and techniques for noninvasive measurement thereof. Since a longer-term goal of this work is to address some of the outstanding puzzles concerning supercooled water[1-3], we will describe progress towards realizing a similar trap inside an environmental chamber that can provide the necessary range of pressure and temperature.

[1]Angell, C. Austen. Science 319.5863 (2008): 582-587.

[2]Kim et al., Science 358, 1589–1593 (2017)

[3]Kim et al., Science 370.6519 (2020): 978-982.