Phys.org  June 22, 2021 In a proof of principle experiment researchers at the DOE’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility are preparing to trap and levitate particles inside a cavity using an electric field. Intrinsic characteristics of superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities will overcome some limits of laser trapping. If they can levitate a particle, they might be able to impart a quantum state on it by cooling the trapped particle to its lowest possible energy level. A levitated particle in an SRF cavity that is under vacuum and chilled to super cold temperatures will only interact with the cavity’s electric field […]