Levitation as a technique generally refers to engineered methods for stably suspending an object against gravity without mechanical contact, using physical forces such as electromagnetic, electrostatic, acoustic, or optical fields. In research and technology, key implementations include magnetic levitation (maglev), which exploits diamagnetism, superconductivity (Meissner effect), or actively controlled electromagnets; acoustic levitation, which uses standing sound waves and radiation pressure; and optical levitation, relying on gradient and scattering forces in tightly focused laser beams. These techniques are used for frictionless transport, high-precision positioning, isolation from vibrational or mechanical perturbations, and containerless processing in materials science and fundamental physics experiments.
Time crystals, a collection of particles that "tick"—or move back and forth in repeating cycles—were first theorized and then discovered about a decade ago. While scientists have yet to create commercial or industrial ...
General Physics
Feb 6, 2026
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University of Leicester engineers have unveiled a concept for a device designed to magnetically "cloak" sensitive components, making them invisible to detection.
Condensed Matter
Dec 19, 2025
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A new type of sensor that levitates dozens of glass microparticles could revolutionize the accuracy and efficiency of sensing, laying the foundation for better autonomous vehicles, navigation and even the detection of dark ...
General Physics
Dec 2, 2025
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Using sound to get objects to float works well if a single particle is levitated, but it causes multiple particles to collapse into a clump in mid-air. Physicists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) ...
General Physics
Dec 2, 2025
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It looks like a magic trick: Cells at the bottom of a liquid medium begin levitating, then hovering at a particular height. With no physical contact, an invisible force directs certain cells to float up or down in unison, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 24, 2025
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With a clever design, researchers have solved eddy-current damping in macroscopic levitating systems, paving the way for a wide range of sensing technologies.
General Physics
Oct 10, 2025
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Quantum mechanics theory predicts that, in addition to exhibiting particle-like behavior, particles of all sizes can also have wave-like properties. These properties can be represented using the wave function, a mathematical ...
Dark matter, although not visible, is believed to make up most of the total mass of the universe. One theory suggests that ultralight dark matter behaves like a continuous wave, which could exert rhythmic forces that are ...
General Physics
Jun 25, 2025
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Imagine a world in which free-floating electric vehicles charge wirelessly as they glide down highways, laptops are hundreds of times more powerful, and clean energy flows in limitless supply.
Superconductivity
May 5, 2025
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131
An article published in the journal Optica describes the development of a new experimental device that explores the boundary between classical and quantum physics, allowing the simultaneous observation and investigation of ...
Optics & Photonics
Jan 29, 2025
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