Hamsa Sridhar ’12 floats above the fray

Hamsa Sridhar ’12 works with levitating gold on a regular basis—but the work is neither magical nor costly.

Sridhar, a joint physics and mathematics concentrator, is the only undergraduate researcher involved in a project at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences that seeks to levitate certain micro-particles coated with a thin layer of gold.

Under the direction of Applied Physics Professor Federico Capasso, Sridhar has to devise feasible ways to coat the micro-particle with gold and magnetic materials.

Before entering the nanofabrication facility at SEAS to coat the micro-particles in gold in her routine procedure, Sridhar must undergo a number of security measures: she has her iris scanned, and she swathes herself in a complete outfit that includes booties—which go on first, she said—and a white suit.

Read the full article in The Harvard Crimson