Levitated

Levitation refers to the suspension of an object in air or another medium with no physical contact supporting it. In science and engineering, levitation is achieved by exploiting buoyancy, magnetic, electrostatic, acoustic, optical, or quantum effects. The term covers a range of phenomena from everyday balloons to advanced laboratory and transportation technologies.

Buoyant levitation occurs when an upward buoyant force balances or exceeds the weight of an object, typically in fluids or gases. Examples include hot air balloons and helium-filled balloons, where a density difference between the object and the surrounding medium provides lift.

Magnetic levitation uses magnetic forces to counter gravity. This includes diamagnetism and induced currents, as well as superconducting systems that leverage the Meissner effect or magnetic flux pinning. Magnetic levitation underpins practical applications such as maglev transportation, which relies on stable, contactless suspension for reduced friction.

Other common levitation methods include electrostatic levitation, where charged objects are suspended in electric fields; acoustic levitation, which uses standing waves in air to trap small objects at pressure nodes; and optical levitation, where tightly focused laser light (optical tweezers) traps microscopic particles. Quantum levitation refers to phenomena associated with superconductors, such as flux pinning, that can stabilize levitation and enable movement along predefined paths.

Applications span transportation, materials processing, and scientific research. Maglev trains illustrate large-scale magnetic levitation, while levitated systems support contactless handling, precision metrology, and experiments in levitated optomechanics. Culturally, levitation appears in folklore, media, and stage magic as a demonstration of apparent suspension without support.