Comparison of magneto-gravitational and optical trapping for levitated optomechanics

High sensitivity accelerometry with a feedback-cooled magnetically levitated microsphere

“…In this paper, we demonstrate levitation of a diamagnetic borosilicate microsphere in a magneto-gravitational trap down to a pressure of ∼ 10 −7 Torr at room temperature. The relatively large mass of the 60 µm microsphere and low oscillation frequencies compared to optical trapping systems [35] make this a promising optomechanical system for high sensitivity room temperature accelerometry. The center-of-mass motion is cooled with feedback to damp transients on a reasonable timescale.…”