[{"arxiv":1,"day":"17","project":[{"grant_number":"949120","_id":"0aa60e99-070f-11eb-9043-a6de6bdc3afa","name":"Tribocharge: a multi-scale approach to an enduring problem in physics","call_identifier":"H2020"},{"_id":"629205d8-2b32-11ec-9570-e1356ff73576","name":"Organization of CLoUdS, and implications of Tropical  cyclones and for the Energetics of the tropics, in current and waRming climate","grant_number":"805041","call_identifier":"H2020"}],"citation":{"chicago":"Stöllner, Andrea, Isaac C. D. Lenton, Caroline J Muller, and Scott R Waitukaitis. “Discharge at the Microscale: Using Optical Tweezers to Observe Muon-Induced Discharges of a Levitated Microparticle in Air.” <i>ArXiv</i>, n.d. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.16040\">https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.16040</a>.","short":"A. Stöllner, I.C.D. Lenton, C.J. Muller, S.R. Waitukaitis, ArXiv (n.d.).","mla":"Stöllner, Andrea, et al. “Discharge at the Microscale: Using Optical Tweezers to Observe Muon-Induced Discharges of a Levitated Microparticle in Air.” <i>ArXiv</i>, doi:<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.16040\">10.48550/arXiv.2604.16040</a>.","apa":"Stöllner, A., Lenton, I. C. D., Muller, C. J., &#38; Waitukaitis, S. R. (n.d.). Discharge at the microscale: Using optical tweezers to observe Muon-induced discharges of a levitated microparticle in air. <i>arXiv</i>. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.16040\">https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.16040</a>","ieee":"A. Stöllner, I. C. D. Lenton, C. J. Muller, and S. R. Waitukaitis, “Discharge at the microscale: Using optical tweezers to observe Muon-induced discharges of a levitated microparticle in air,” <i>arXiv</i>. .","ista":"Stöllner A, Lenton ICD, Muller CJ, Waitukaitis SR. Discharge at the microscale: Using optical tweezers to observe Muon-induced discharges of a levitated microparticle in air. arXiv, <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.16040\">10.48550/arXiv.2604.16040</a>.","ama":"Stöllner A, Lenton ICD, Muller CJ, Waitukaitis SR. Discharge at the microscale: Using optical tweezers to observe Muon-induced discharges of a levitated microparticle in air. <i>arXiv</i>. doi:<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.16040\">10.48550/arXiv.2604.16040</a>"},"title":"Discharge at the microscale: Using optical tweezers to observe Muon-induced discharges of a levitated microparticle in air","date_updated":"2026-10-09T11:09:09Z","author":[{"orcid":"0000-0002-0464-8440","full_name":"Stöllner, Andrea","id":"4bdcf7f6-eb97-11eb-a6c2-9981bbdc3bed","last_name":"Stöllner","first_name":"Andrea"},{"full_name":"Lenton, Isaac C. D.","first_name":"Isaac C. D.","last_name":"Lenton"},{"first_name":"Caroline J","last_name":"Muller","id":"f978ccb0-3f7f-11eb-b193-b0e2bd13182b","orcid":"0000-0001-5836-5350","full_name":"Muller, Caroline J"},{"orcid":"0000-0002-2299-3176","full_name":"Waitukaitis, Scott R","id":"3A1FFC16-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87","last_name":"Waitukaitis","first_name":"Scott R"}],"abstract":[{"lang":"eng","text":"Electrical discharge at the smallest possible length and charge scales is not well understood. Using optical tweezers, we investigate spontaneous discharges of a single micron-scale particle levitated in air. These ``microdischarges'' have a typical size of $\\sim$40 $|e|$, but can be as small as a few $|e|$ and as large as several hundred. The absence of a well-defined trigger charge and the weak dependence on particle size suggest events are not classical gaseous breakdown. Instead, we show that microdischarge events arise from the rapid capture of ions left in the tracks of nearby passing ionizing radiation. Our results highlight the role of natural ionizing radiation in initiating micron-scale discharges and provide a platform for studying discharge physics in electrode-free environments and at the smallest scales."}],"article_processing_charge":"No","date_created":"2026-10-02T11:35:14Z","year":"2026","acknowledgement":"We thank Todor Asenov and Abdulhamid Baghdadi\r\nfor their outstanding technical support. This project\r\nhas received funding from the European Research Council\r\n(ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research\r\nand innovation programme (Grant agreements No. 949120\r\nand No. 805041). This research was supported by the\r\nScientific Service Units of The Institute of Science and\r\nTechnology Austria (ISTA) through resources provided\r\nby the Miba Machine Shop.","external_id":{"arxiv":["2604.16040"]},"oa":1,"month":"04","_id":"23038","oa_version":"Preprint","publication_status":"draft","user_id":"8b945eb4-e2f2-11eb-945a-df72226e66a9","language":[{"iso":"eng"}],"publication":"arXiv","main_file_link":[{"open_access":"1","url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.16040"}],"related_material":{"record":[{"status":"public","id":"23033","relation":"dissertation_contains"}]},"type":"preprint","acknowledged_ssus":[{"_id":"M-Shop"}],"corr_author":"1","doi":"10.48550/arXiv.2604.16040","OA_type":"green","fulldoi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.16040","department":[{"_id":"CaMu"},{"_id":"ScWa"}],"OA_place":"repository","ec_funded":1,"date_published":"2026-04-17T00:00:00Z","status":"public"}]