2025/12/22 by Ronghao Yin, Yin, Ronghao, Yugang Ren +11
Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Instrumentation and Detectors (physics.ins-det) #Mechanical and Optical Resonators #Micro and Nano Robotics #Orbital Angular Momentum in Optics #Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2512.19358
openalex publication_date 2025/12/22 · openalex created_date 2025/12/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Mesoscopic particles levitated by optical, electrical or magnetic fields act as mechanical oscillators with a range of surprising properties, such as tuneable oscillation frequencies, access to rotational motion, and remarkable quality factors. Coupled levitated particles display rich dynamics and non-reciprocal interactions, with applications in sensing and the exploration of non-equilibrium and quantum physics. In this work, we present a single levitated particle displaying coupled-oscillator dynamics by generating an interaction with a virtual or ``ghost'' particle. This ghost levitated particle is simulated on an analogue computer, and its properties can thus be dynamically varied. Our work represents a new angle on measurement-based bath engineering and physical simulation and, in the future, could lead to the generation of novel cooling mechanisms and complex physical simulation.